


Time to Grow Up

by Mozie



Series: And So We Grow Together [1]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Character Growth, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Death, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Language, No Sex, Panic Attacks, Romance, Slow Burn, Trauma, a focus on how trauma can change people, multiple character deaths, no sex but there are some steamy makeouts, no sonic bashing, one-sided sonamy, sonic isn't a jerk though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:15:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 127,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23549008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mozie/pseuds/Mozie
Summary: When Amy is assigned a tutor for History the last person she expects is perpetually grumpy and prone to detention Shadow. Then again, she also isn't expecting a mad scientist to feature heavily in her life, or to wind up on the run from G.U.N., so that's a thing. As for Shadow, the biggest surprise of it all is his growing fondness for the colour pink.Shadamy highschool AU
Relationships: Amy Rose/Shadow the Hedgehog
Series: And So We Grow Together [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2016290
Comments: 130
Kudos: 161





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mind the tags

Sunday, November 3rd, 3:40pm, Backstage MNG

A balding, heavyset man with an impeccable moustache sits alone in the dressing room for the Mobotropolis News Group. The world's leading expert on robotics and Chaos manipulation, founder and CEO of Eggman Industries, Dr. Ivo Robotnik stares at his reflection in a studio mirror while preparing for an important interview.

After the sudden and inexplicable closing of Eggman Industries, and the resulting loss of thousands of jobs, Robotnik found his time to now be _more_ of a commodity rather than less. The official story was bankruptcy, but that was far from the truth. No, the truth was, as always, much more interesting.

They’d arrested him in his workshop- a cavernous space that housed all manner of aborted creations. It was there that Robotnik kept his more ambitious research and tried his wildest experiments. It was there that he’d first invented the very power source used to fuel all of the Guardian Units of Nations' robots. That invention alone had netted him enough money to retire on comfortably, had Robotnik wanted to. He hadn’t, though. Even as a child, Robotnik had always craved _more_. More dessert, more freedoms, more challenge in school. And now? More money, more influence, more power. He used to wonder if anything would ever fill the yearning in his heart, but then he’d heard whispers of an abandoned project; a project so controversial that he simply hadn’t been able to resist it.

The details on the project had been successfully hidden from all but the upper echelons of G.U.N. for decades after it was forcibly terminated, but Robotnik had carefully extracted the highly classified files deep in G.U.N’s database. _Now_ Robotnik was onto something that could fill the hole in his heart: the ultimate weapon, an innovative but extremely dangerous science. Something so powerful that, with it in his grasp, he would be unstoppable. Of course, some of his research suggested that the weapon was actually alive. _Sentient_. Capable of thoughts and feelings. So, he’d made secondary plans, and tertiary plans.

But then G.U.N. had discovered the breach in their systems. They’d come for him and his research, and in the blink of an eye, his known labs were shut down and the bulk of his files were confiscated. If Robotnik hadn't kept back-ups of his back-ups off site in secure locations, he would have been halted in his tracks. If they'd discovered his full plans, rather than just the project notes, he would be in jail. As it stands, Robotnik was no fool. He was a careful man, and so his progress was only delayed. No matter, he'd planned for delays.

A knock at the dressing room door draws him from his thoughts. An intern pokes her head in. “Dr. Robotnik? They're ready for you.”

Well then, it's showtime.

With one final adjustment to his collar, Robotnik sweeps out of the room and onto the stage. Taking a seat, he gestures for the cameras to start rolling. For a moment they hesitate, but then the reporter nods and a sign lit up behind the camera crew: ON AIR.

“Hello, this is Scarlet Garcia reporting live for the Mobotropolis News Group. We have a special guest with us today, a man whose name has been hot in the news lately. Dr. Ivo Robotnik, CEO and founder of Eggman Industries, thank you for joining us today. What prompted you to approach us for this highly sought after interview?”

The scientist smiles at that; she got right to the point, like he'd requested. “Well Scarlet, I wanted to clear up some things. The official story the media has been fed by federal agencies is a load of crap. Eggman Industries is a multibillion dollar company; the notion of bankruptcy is absurd even in the worst of our quarters. The truth is that the government stole my research and forced my company to close its doors.” He turns to the camera. “All of you sitting at home, comfortable on your sofas: mark your calendars. On November 23rd something big is coming. Eggman Industries will rise again!”

His pawns are lined up now, his pieces in motion. Today he rants and raves on live TV, practically guaranteeing that the higher-ups won't take him seriously, but soon... Mobotropolis won't know what hit it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on this fic on and off since 2011, so some of the ideas and issues it tackles are ideas and issues I might not have chosen in more recent years. That being said, this fic is my baby and I am determined to finish it. The current iteration is a re-write of the original (which can be found [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oLSkMaflaL4h7_IDxexiLmDyc4xNasfwndEB0RbPmDQ/edit?usp=sharing) in all of its glory) that I've been working on since early 2019.  
> I currently have 17 complete chapters, though my editors aren't nearly as far along as I am, and I intend to post every week on Tuesday evening.  
> Special thanks to my friends at Quill and Pounce for helping this fic reach it's current incarnation, it wouldn't be nearly as good without you.  
> A note that since there's a focus on how trauma can change a person I first have to build up what the characters are like pre-trauma, so expect a few chapters before the main plot goes down
> 
> Oh, I'm writing this as a human AU, just in case anyone wonders why the characters aren't using their usual powers and abilities.


	2. Chapter 1 - You can be my sweetest honey for eternity

Tuesday, November 1st, 10:27am, Station Square Academy

Amy waits, fingers crossed. This test is worth thirty percent of her grade, she can't afford to fail it. She's just scraping by as it is. Plus, if she fails this one her parents will be seriously ticked off, which will mean she can't go out with Sonic this weekend!

Sonic... just thinking about him—his thick blue hair, the tan he has from spending all his time outside, his deep, heavy-lidded eyes—causes her to blush. He's so dreamy... Amy has been head over heels for the track star since she was old enough to notice boys, and now—after years of trying—he's finally agreed to go on a date with her! She can hardly believe her luck! But she needs to focus. The test. Her teacher is just starting to hand out the results. She bites her lip, bounces her leg, and otherwise fidgets impatiently. The nervous anticipation is killing her! Her test slides onto the desk in front of her, no words of praise or other comments given as Mr. Bailey continues on down the row. She squeezes her eyes shut, wondering if that's a good sign or a bad sign. Wondering why he chooses to hand them out upside down, making everyone wait to flip them over until he gives the okay. That just draws out the tension! Doesn't he understand that, sometimes, the test results are a life or death situation? She stares at the blank backside of her work as Mr. Bailey returns to the front of the room, hoping to suddenly develop x-ray vision and see the result through her paper.

“You may look now,” their teacher announces, and the room fills with the incredibly distinct sound of thirty sheets of paper being flipped over at once. Around the class are the various reactions of Amy's peers, from sighs of relief to miserable groans. Amy doesn't hear them over the blood rushing in her ears. She whimpers as she looks at the large red 'D' at the top of the page; the words 'See me after school' scribbled underneath in her teacher's hasty scrawl. She slumps in her chair, nervous energy replaced by glum acceptance. She barely hears anything for the rest of class, her entire world narrowing to a pinpoint around what will surely be the death of her social life. Eventually the bell rings and Amy makes her way to the cafeteria with everyone else.

Once in the cafeteria she finds herself perking back up. It is, after all, Tuesday. If Sonic is here—and a quick scan of the cafeteria reveals that he is—he'll be practising with the track team after he eats. Just the thought of Sonic running is enough to put all thoughts of failed tests out of Amy's mind.

“Uh oh, I recognize that expression,” a girl with ashy brown skin, upturned amber eyes, and thick lavender hair teases as Amy arrives. “That expression means you just saw Sonic, and we're watching him run.” Amy grins, flushing despite herself.

“Well, if you insist,” she teases back.

Amy had met her purple-haired friend, Blaze, the previous year when they were partnered up in science. At first Blaze had come across as a bit standoffish—barely exchanging two words a class with Amy—but eventually they'd become friends. Nowadays the two talk about anything and everything. From the outside it might seem strange for Blaze, a serious straight-A student, to be so close with the ever-excitable and often spacey Amy, but there's harmony in balance. Plus, their mutual love for outdoor activities and all the same movies gives them plenty of common ground.

The two girls eat together for a bit, talking about Blaze's upcoming participation in the Show Jumping regional qualifiers. Blaze's goal is to be the youngest Olympian Equestrian in history, which would be so cool! A lot of the terminology flies over Amy's head, but that's okay. Seeing her friend so excited more than makes up for it. Eventually they're joined by a girl with child-like features and strawberry-blond pigtails. It's easy to see why people think Cream is too young to be in high school; if Amy hadn't grown up with her, she probably would too. Her princess-like manners and habit of wearing flowers in her hair probably don't help. They finish eating and head out to watch the track team, meeting their friends—an athletic girl with magenta hair and dark eyes, and a curvier girl who looks like she just stepped out of a photoshoot—in the bleachers.

The athletic one, Sonia, practically grew up with Amy. Her mum works with Amy's dad, and since the girls are only two years apart it made sense for them to have a lot of play dates when they were kids. As they got older Sonia started using Amy's apartment as a familiar refuge from the horrors of her brothers, though Amy finds it hard to believe that it could ever really be that bad. After all, one of Sonia's brothers is Sonic. And Sonic is perfect.

The other girl is Rouge, one of Sonia's classmates. Even though they spend lunch together several times a week, Amy doesn't really know her. She knows Rouge is smart and funny, and that she’s probably the most attractive girl in school. With her hourglass figure, perfect tan, and shocking blue eyes, it's easy to see why. Compared to her Amy might as well wear a potato sack at all times. Still, she's Sonia's best friend, so Amy tries to be happy for her instead of jealous. It helps that Sonic and Rouge have no interest in each other.

“You know, if I wanted to watch my brother run,” Sonia greets, “I'd spend more time with him at home.” She grins as she says it, and Amy grins back. Sonia says the same thing at least once a month, but she also shows up every practice to watch, so Amy knows she doesn't actually mind.

Watching Sonic run is breathtaking, after all. He's fast, and he manages to look both powerful and graceful. No one else on the team compares, and Amy could watch him run forever and ever without getting bored. It's beautiful and natural. Seeing someone in their element like that is always amazing, and when that someone happens to be as wonderful as Sonic... well....

“So how did your test go?” Cream asks in her childish voice, snapping Amy's attention back to the present.

She groans, hanging her head and putting her face in her hands. She does _not_ want to be reminded of the test, not now and not ever. “I have to see Mr. Bailey after school,” she informs her knees.

“That bad?” Sonia asks, voice soft and sympathetic.

“I got a D,” Amy explains, prompting someone to let out a low whistle.

“Well, at least it’s not an important class,” a voice like liquid honey muses.

“Thanks, Rouge. That's exactly what I wanted to hear.”

“I'm just saying, it could be worse. Could’ve been math,” Rouge points out. “But, if it matters to you, you should probably do something about it.”

“You don't think!?” Stupid Rouge with her stupid sexy voice and stupid good grades. Amy knows she's being unfair, but it feels good to direct her frustration somewhere else.

“Now now, since when has lashing out gotten you anywhere, Miss Rose?” the older girl teases, causing Amy to deflate.

“I know, I'm sorry. I'm just really bummed, you know?” There's a moment of silence before Amy forces a smile. “It's no big deal, though. I'll figure it out.” She knows her fake optimism isn't fooling anyone, but her friends are kind enough to take the hint and the subject is dropped. Instead they discuss their weekend plans until the bell rings and prompts them all to head to their respective classes. Luckily for Amy her next class is with Blaze, so they gather their things and walk together.

“Do you think your parents will still let you go out on Friday?” Blaze asks in a soft voice as they take their seats.

Amy sighs, “I don't know,” she admits. “I hope so, but I doubt it.”

“You could offer to do all of your homework Saturday and spend Sunday studying?” Blaze suggests.

“Ugh, yeah, that's a good idea.”

Before she can say anything else the teacher gets in, leaving Amy to her thoughts as the poetry lesson begins. Blaze doesn't speak during class unless it's academically important, a trait that Amy admires even if it does lead to boring classes. There's one point, maybe twenty minutes after lunch, where Amy hears someone storming down the hall. They even pause for a moment to hit a locker in some way—so that will make for some interesting gossip later—but other than that, English passes by uneventfully.

Luckily for Amy Home Ec. is her last period for the day, which is always something to look forward to. Today isn't a cooking day, but tomorrow they'll be making croissants, and Amy can't wait. She loves baking! She's not always the best at it, but that's okay. One day she'll be a master, just like her mama! In the meantime, she can study.

All too soon Home Ec. ends, then it's time for homeroom, and then her meeting with Mr. Bailey. She makes her way back to the History classroom, wringing her hands and dreading whatever comes next.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” she manages to squeak out when she reaches the door.

“Ah, Amy. Come in, come in,” he greets, beckoning her over and gesturing to the seat next to his desk. She hastens to be seated; the quicker it’s done with, the better. “Amy, the reason I asked to see you is because your latest test result was, well, less than satisfactory. At this rate, I'm afraid you may fail my course completely. You're a bright girl, Amy, and I have trouble believing that you would want to be held back a year.”

Amy hangs her head as the gravity of the situation hits her. “No sir,” she whispers.

“That's why I want to recommend you get a tutor.”

Amy looks back up with a start. “A tutor, sir?”

“Yes. An older student who did well in this course. They would go to your house twice a week and help you study. What do you think?”

Despite her previous fears, Amy finds herself perking right up. “Could we really do that, sir?”

“If we couldn't do you think I'd be mentioning it?” her teacher asks with a good-natured smile. Amy returns that smile with a grin, and they set about filling the paperwork required to find a suitable tutor, based on her address and availability.

When Amy gets home her parents are quite disappointed by her grade and tell her that she's not allowed to go out, but she follows Blaze's suggestion and promises to spend her weekend studying and doing homework if she can just please _please_ go out with Sonic on Friday? She gives her best puppy-dog eyes and her father gives in.

Amy wakes up with a stretch and a yawn on Wednesday morning. She goes about her usual routine of showering, putting on her uniform, doing her hair, eating breakfast, brushing her teeth, and leaving to meet her friends. In the hall, she walks to the only other suite on this floor and knocks on the door, as she does every day.

“Amy,” Cream greets warmly as she opens the door. “I'm just getting my shoes on, and then we can get going.” After years of living next to each other, they'd mastered the art of being ready at nearly the exact same time. Once Cream's shoes are on, they take the elevator down and leave the building. A few blocks away they meet up with Sonia.

“Where are your brothers?” Amy asks as her older friend falls into step with them.

“Manic slept in,” Sonia answers, “so he's still getting ready, and Sonic left early; something about talking to a friend, said it was important? I wasn't listening.”

“Oh, that's too bad,” Amy says with a sigh. It's not that she doesn't like walking with Sonia, it's just that she loves walking with Sonic. She never gets to walk home with him, because when he isn't busy with extracurriculars he's going to a friend's house. “Well, did Sonic mention anything about this Friday to you?”

“Not really, why?”

“No reason, I just thought he might have, is all.”

Sonia raises an eyebrow. “Why would Sonic ever tell me about his plans? Unless... do you have plans with him?” She stops walking for a moment, giving Amy an accusing look.

“I... uh... is that a problem?

Sonia shakes her head and resumes walking. “Not really, it's just surprising. No offence, but you're not really his type.”

“I'm his type,” Amy responds stubbornly. “He just hasn't realized it yet.” If she says the words, maybe it will make them true. Amy is perfect for him, she knows she is, and on Friday Sonic will know it too.

The three girls make it to school five minutes before the bell rings, and then it's an ordinary day. At Lunch, Amy asks Mr. Bailey about her tutor. He tells her to come back tomorrow, since they won’t settle on someone until the end of the day.

In Home Ec. Amy finally gets to make her croissants, and they turn out fantastically. She shares them with Cream as they walk home, where they do their homework together before dinner. The news plays in the background, showing an angry scientist with a bushy moustache ranting about the government shutting down his research. It's easier to do homework with background noise in Amy's opinion, and the news isn't often interesting enough to be distracting.

Thursday passes much the same as Wednesday, with only two moments outside of Amy's typical routine. The first is during locker break, when she's running late enough to rush around a corner without looking. She bumps into someone at a considerable clip, managing to take them both out in the process.

“Oh, shoot, I am so sorry! Ah, are you okay? Oh, oh! Sonic! Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! I swear it was an accident, I-”

“Hey, no worries,” Sonic cuts in with an easy grin, getting back to his feet and holding out a hand to help her up as well. “You’re in a hurry, these things happen.” Once Amy's on her feet Sonic grabs her books, handing them to her with a grin. “Seeya,” he says, waving and turning to go.

“Ah, Sonic! Wait!” Amy calls. He turns back.

“What's up, Ames?”

“Are we still going to Twinkle Park on Friday?” She wrings her hands as she awaits an answer.

“Sure, six o'clock, right?”

Amy feels a wave of relief wash over her. Of course Sonic didn't forget about their date. He wouldn't do that. “Yeah, six.”

“Cool, see ya then.” And then he's off, and Amy realizes that she is incredibly late.

The second event of the day is far less exciting; Amy finds out about her tutor. On Tuesdays and Thursdays from three to five, starting next week, Shadow Hassan would be coming to Amy's house to tutor her.

Shadow.

The scary guy in Sonic's grade who once beat someone up for looking at him funny. Allegedly. She hopes the rumours are exaggerations. Surely the school wouldn't ask her to let someone truly dangerous into her home.

On Friday Amy is much too excited to focus on her schoolwork. She just can't stop thinking about her date with Sonic! The entire day passes in a dreamlike haze, and when school ends Amy rushes home to get ready for her big date. She pushes her hair back with a red a hairband and puts on the new outfit she bought just for this occasion; A red halter-dress with white trim, and some matching boots. She re-does her makeup and spends the next few hours fretting over how she looks until it's time to head out.

She gets to Twinkle Park about fifteen minutes early, heart racing. She can do this. She and Sonic are soulmates, they’re meant to be together. Deep breaths, in and out. Just breathe. She's known Sonic since they were in diapers. She can do this. Breathe.

Fifteen minutes pass. He'll be here soon. Just keep breathing. Another fifteen, and he is officially late. No sign of him. That's okay, he won't forget. Something came up, that's all. He'll be here soon and they'll have the perfect date. Everything will be fine. He'll tell her that he loves her, and they'll live happily ever after. Breathe. Everything will be fine.

Another fifteen minutes, and Amy gets up with a sigh. He's not coming. She turns to head back to her apartment. He's not coming.

“Amy! Wait!” Her heart speeds up, she turns around. There he is, sprinting like he does in competitions. When he gets to her side he doubles over panting, gasping, and clearly winded. “I am... so... sorry... Amy.” He swallows. “There was... an accident... took friend... hospital...” he chokes out between breaths.

“Oh Sonic!” Amy cries out, throwing herself at her heroic love. “I knew there must be a reason! I mean, you wouldn't ditch me! You're not like that! I'm so sorry I ever doubted you! Can I get you anything?”

“Air,” Sonic gasps, pulling away from Amy's loving embrace. After a few moments he catches his breath. “Shall we head in?” he asks, offering his arm.

“Yes!” Amy squeals as she grabs his arm and practically drags him into the park. “Oh Sonic, this is going to be the best date ever, I just know it!”

“Date?” Sonic splutters. “I don't- This isn't- We're not-” but Amy can't hear him over the sounds of the park and her own beating heart.

“So, what do you want to ride first, Sonic?” Amy asks, voice gushing with hope and affection.

“I, uh.... Bumper cars?” Sonic suggests. His voice seems higher than usual and, well, Amy figures he must be as excited as she is.

“What a good idea! But then, I should have expected as much from you.”

Sonic laughs nervously and Amy starts dragging him to the bumper cars, looking back at him every couple seconds to shoot him a huge smile. Sonic smiles back, but it seems a bit forced. Does he look a tad sick to his stomach? Amy has butterflies in hers, too.

After bumper cars Amy leads Sonic to the roller coaster, the swings, a cotton candy stand, a photo booth, and finally the Ferris Wheel.

“Isn't this romantic?” she asks with a dreamy sigh as they're carried up. The park spreads out beneath them, lights twinkling like an artist's rendering of the night sky.

“I guess?” Sonic answers with a shrug.

“Hey, can I tell you something?”

“Ah, Amy...” Sonic fumbles for a moment, and Amy supposes he must be as nervous as she is right now.

“Sonic, I love you,” Amy sighs, gazing at him with rapt adoration. “Will you be my boyfriend?”

Sonic stiffens. “Well, I....”

“Yes?”

“I....”

“Yes?”

“I mean, that is to say....”

“Sonic?” Amy's eyes are wide, fear and hope mixing in them. She'd put her cards on the table, and she desperately hopes it wasn’t a mistake.

“Uh....” As Amy stares, looking at him as if he holds her life in his hands, he sinks back into his chair, refusing to meet her gaze. “Sure,” he answers, too cool to sound excited.

Amy squeals, launching herself at Sonic and causing their basket to rock dangerously. Her arms wrap around him as she nuzzles his collar. “Sonic! Ah, I'm so glad! This is the happiest day of my life!” After a moment Sonic's arms wrap stiffly around Amy's shoulders, before gently pushing her back into her seat, reminding her that their weight needs to be evenly distributed for safety reasons.

Eventually Sonic walks Amy home, giving her an awkward hug when they part.

Amy spends the rest of her weekend doing homework and studying, as she promised she would. What had once seemed like a gaping chasm of drudgery is now completely worth it. Sonic is her boyfriend! Amy smiles until her cheeks hurt.


	3. Chapter 2 - What would it feel like to be speed of light?

Tuesday, November 1st, 10:43am, Station Square Academy

Shadow stares out the classroom window, an irate sigh escaping his lips. He knows all this, he shouldn't have to deal with subjects he already knows inside and out. It's the same in all of his other courses too. They're all so easy. Boring, even. He'd switch to higher level courses, but he's already in the highest level the school offers. He desperately needs a challenge—craves it deep in his soul—but unless he asks to take his exams early and tries to get into university ahead of time, he won't find one. Unfortunately it's a bit late to try that, and even if it weren't, the idea doesn't actually appeal to him. Shadow dislikes change. Plus, going to university means meeting new people, and meeting new people means someone might try to befriend him. Better to put that off as long as possible.

It isn't that Shadow doesn't want friends, not really. He has someone he considers a friend, and he even enjoys her company from time to time. He just doesn't want to let anyone new in. If he cares about people they can hurt him. The more they know about him, the more they have to use against him. Very few people are worth that kind of risk in his opinion. As far as he's concerned it's easier to just not get to know anyone. Is he missing out? Maybe. Does he care? No.

At least at this school it's easy enough to keep people at bay. When Shadow was younger he had been prone to angry outbursts that tended to end in violence. He’d broken some kid's wrist for calling him gay when he was eleven. The insult itself hadn't been what pushed him over; who cares what people think? But the fact that the kid had gotten up in Shadow's face? Shadow never could handle that kind of behaviour in a reasonable manner. He's pretty sure he still can't, but it hasn't come up in years because of his reputation. Or, maybe he would handle such a situation better now. He's calmed down considerably, after all, but he would really rather not test it.

The bell rings and Shadow makes his way to the cafeteria to buy lunch, which he eats outside behind the gym with Manic. Manic is... interesting. He has angular brown-black eyes, spiked green hair, a complete disregard for the school's uniform and dress code, and could _maybe_ be described as something close to a friend. Maybe. Some days, Shadow considers talking to the guy, but that's not really how their dynamic works. Shadow sits down somewhere, and Manic finds him. Then Manic proceeds to talk at length about whatever he deems fitting, and Shadow makes non-committal grunting noises whenever there's an expectant pause. That's how it is and how it has always been, and as stated before: Shadow does not like change. Today Shadow tunes in long enough to determine that Manic is telling some far-fetched story about living in the sewers for a summer, before opening his book and pointedly reading. Honestly, he doesn't know why Manic speaks to him. He doesn't do anything to encourage the behaviour, never even replies with words. He knows Manic has other friends, and yet the snarky kleptomaniac insists on spending his lunch hours with Shadow.

People are strange.

When Manic's arm snakes around Shadow's shoulders he tries to shrug it off. Sometimes Manic gets a bit physical, but a stern glare is usually enough to get the other boy to back off.

“Yanno,” Manic says, unfazed by Shadow's growing irritation. “We should totally go out sometime.”

Shadow splutters, looking at Manic with wide-eyed disbelief for a moment before regaining his composure. “No,” he finally manages in his sternest and most disapproving voice.

Manic grins, finally removing his arm from Shadow and scooting back to a respectable distance, hands raised with his palms out. “So you do listen?” he asks, eyebrows raised in surprise.

Shadow shrugs, not meeting his companion's eyes. “Not really,” he admits.

If anything, Manic's grin grows. “I knew it. But that's okay, I like it. It's like having a diary that no one can ever read. It's great.”

Shadow frowns for a moment before shaking his head. “You're strange.”

Manic laughs, “Thanks, you too.”

The two lapse into a surprisingly comfortable silence, but it doesn't take long for the curiosity to grow. Shadow's desire to know things has been piqued. “So, what kind of things do you tell your living diary?”

Manic laughs again. “No way, if you haven't been listening to any of the things I've been telling you over the past two years, that's a you problem.” Shadow snorts, but the boy has a point. When Manic starts talking again Shadow actually finds himself paying attention. He can't help it.

After lunch is math, and Shadow feels his frustration growing. It's the same frustration he gets whenever he feels trapped, stuck in an undesirable situation and lacking the power to get out. He isn't learning anything new here, isn't even being challenged with difficult concepts. It's a waste of his time, really. He has better things he could be doing. At least at home he can be productive, not stuck in a box-shaped room where he's forced to listen to someone poorly explain concepts he mastered a year ago. Honestly, he doesn't know why he bothers showing up some days.

Eventually he gets up to leave, causing Mr. Stewart to draw his attention with a very deliberate throat clearing. “And where do you think you're going, young man?”

“Home,” Shadow replies curtly, making his way to the door.

“I see. And, why are we going home, Mr. Hassan?”

“Because you're boring me,” Shadow responds flatly, irked at having to explain himself. He knows that isn't the correct answer, knows that he's flagrantly disregarding the rules, but in this moment he really doesn't care. He needs to leave.

Mr. Stewart sighs and massages his temple. “Get back to your seat.”

“Why?” Shadow asks, an imperious edge creeping into his tone.

“Because if you don't I'm going to give you detention.”

“Which I won't be here for,”

“Then I'll suspend you.” Despite his words, Mr. Stewart's heart doesn't seem all that into the conversation today. In fact, there's a familiar resonance in his voice, the flat, empty tones of someone who no longer cares. Shadow knows that tone all too well.

“Oh good, I won't have to come back,” Shadow sneers, knowing it's unreasonable for him to be offended over the inevitable. If he had put even the tiniest bit of effort in, he could have prevented this. But he hadn't.

“In school suspension.” Mr. Stewart doesn't even sound remotely bothered by Shadow's tone, and that just serves to piss him off.

“So I can waste even more of my time?” Shadow scoffs, voice condescending. “I won't come.”

“Mr. Hassan, if you leave this room your mother will hear about it.”

“I said I'm going home; the second I get there she'll know I left.”

The slightest twitch of his lips betrays his exasperation, but all Mr. Stewart says is “fine,” and just like that he goes back to explaining his formulas, not sparing another glance in Shadow's direction. Which is surprising. That's it? He isn't going to say anything else? Mr. Stewart never gives in so easily, he's the only person who challenges Shadow anymore.

The sound of murmuring draws his attention to the rest of the room, where his peers seem to be whispering. A few even seem to be laughing, which is absolutely not right.

“Class,” Mr. Stewart calls, ordering all eyes back on him. “Simmer down. Shadow, I thought you were leaving?”

“Whatever,” he mutters, hoping his cheeks don't look as flushed as they feel. With one final glare at his classmates, Shadow leaves.

When he gets home his mum is already on the phone, so he quietly kisses her coppery cheek before heading to his room. He's well aware she's talking to the school about him, but he isn't too worried. Aziza wants her son to be happy, and lets him make his own mistakes.

By the time a knock comes at his door he's calmed down considerably. “Come in,” he calls, prompting his mum to poke her head in.

“The school called. Your teachers are very mad with you.”

Shadow shrugs. “It's not my fault they have nothing to offer me.”

“I understand, but if you could at least pretend interest. They want to expel you. I want you to have a good future, and if you are expelled...” she sighs at the thought.

Shadow allows his expression to soften into a reassuring smile. “I'll be fine, mum, you'll see. I'll finish high school, go to med school, and become a doctor.”

“I love you no matter what you become, _habibi_. Always.” Her shoulders slump. “You will not like it, but the school offers you a choice.”

Shadow stiffens. “What do they want now?”

“You are smart, very smart. They ask for you to be one of the student tutors. If you do, they will forgive today. I told them yes. Visit the main office tomorrow and they will assign you a student.” Shadow opens his mouth to protest, but she cuts him off. “Please, my son, I do not ask much. Please, do this for me.”

There's a moment of strained silence before Shadow lets out a sigh. “Okay mum. If it will ease your worries, I will tutor whoever they assign me to.” As Aziza leaves, Shadow can't help but think that he's making a mistake. He doesn't like change, and he doesn't like people. He especially doesn't like stupid people, so tutoring? He's sure it's only going to be a matter of weeks before everything crashes and burns.

Shadow sits at his desk for the rest of the afternoon, painting mini figures. He enjoys the task; the tiny details make it good for his manual dexterity, but it's mindless enough that he's able to think about more important matters. Like why Mr. Stewart giving up on him bothered him so much. Most people Shadow met gave up on him eventually, so why is this one such a big deal? True, Mr. Stewart had believed in Shadow for longer than most people, but that shouldn't make a difference.

Being humiliated in front of the class didn't help; the entire experience was new to Shadow, and he would like to never repeat it.

A knock at his door snaps Shadow out of his musing. “Come in!”

When the door doesn't open he lets out a sigh and puts down his work. There's only one person who makes him get up to let them in. There are only two people who come to his room to start with, but that's beside the point.

“Hello, handsome. Did you know you're the talk of the school?” Rouge greets when he opens the door, which earns a contemptuous snort as he leans against the frame.

“Rouge,” he replies. “What are you doing here? Unless I'm mistaken, it's still Tuesday,”

Rouge is Shadow's only real friend. Sure, on the surface she is very much the hot, popular girl who gets everything she wants with daddy's money, but Shadow knows that there is so much more to her. Clever, calculating, willing to go after what she wants. She could be ruthless if she weren't fiercely loyal. Shadow admired those traits, mainly because he shared them. He'd originally met Rouge in detention five, maybe six, years ago. She’d introduced herself by asking if he'd really broken school property, and from there friendship blossomed. When they hit puberty Rouge became hot seemingly overnight and began to make other friends, causing her to spend less and less time with Shadow, but it didn't really change anything. Rouge consistently swung by every time his name is so much as whispered in the rumour mill, and they watch movies together and catch up on each other's lives every Thursday- Well, Rouge's life. Shadow rarely has anything new to talk about, but Rouge always has some hot new gossip to share. Even when Shadow _does_ have news, Rouge is already aware.

Rouge's expression softens. “You know I worry about you, Shadow. What happened today? I know what everybody is saying, but I'd rather hear it from you.”

“The class was boring so I left,” Shadow explains. He can hear the edge in his voice, knows Rouge can too, but he really, _really_ doesn't want to talk about it.

“Come on, I knows there's more to the story. What happened?”

“It's not a big deal, Rouge.” His voice is firm, and he makes no effort to keep the 'none of your business' tone out of it. Rouge has never bowed down to him though, and this is no exception. Her willingness to stand her ground is part of what he likes about her. Maybe it's because she always manages it without getting in his face.

“So tell me then. If it doesn't matter, what's the harm?”

Shadow makes an exasperated noise in his throat, before walking over and dropping onto his couch, gesturing for Rouge to let herself in. She makes herself comfy next to him. “I decided to go home, and Mr. Stewart dismissed me like I was a common nobody,” he explains. “Not exactly the end of the world.”

Rouge shrugs, leaning back. “Maybe not, but I can't see that feeling good.”

Shadow wants to blow this off, but it's Rouge, and she's known him long enough to know when he's actually upset. “Of course it didn't feel good, but I did it to myself.”

Rouge nods and they sit in silence for a moment before her expression changes to a smirk. “So, what's your punishment this time? I still haven't gotten over the time they made you join choir in the hopes that being part of a non-competitive team would make you more sociable.”

Shadow laughs at the memory. It’d been an absurd notion on the school's part, and he’d hated every minute of it. “To be fair, I am an exquisite singer. It's possible the choir just wanted an excuse to make me join them.” Rouge laughs at that. “But honestly? I think they're done with making me join courses and clubs,” he tucks a lock of hair behind his ear. “This time they want me to tutor someone.”

“Well, that should be an experience,” Rouge all but cackles. Shadow frowns, not appreciating the implications. “Who's the victim?”

“I fail to see how having me as a tutor makes someone a victim.”

“They're going to be bad at a subject that you're good at,” she explains with a grin, “I don't see you having the kind of patience needed to deal with that.”

“I can be patient,” Shadow huffs, even though he'd been thinking the same thing himself. Rouge gives him an indulgent smile.

“Of course you can, honey. But, the victim- Who?”

“I have no idea, I'm supposed to find out tomorrow.”

“Ah. Well, good luck with that. In the meantime, I brought a movie. Interested?”

“Which movie?” Normally they trade off who gets to pick what they watch, and this week is supposed to be Shadow's turn, but it's not really movie night. He just hopes it's not another _Chao in Space 7_. Sure, bad movies can be fun, but _Chao in Space 7_ went so far beyond 'so-bad-it's-good' that it wound up firmly back in the 'just plain bad' category.

“I thought we could watch _The Karate Chao_ ,” Rouge says, pulling said movie out of her backpack. Shadow smiles. _The Karate Chao_ is what they watched the very first time they hung out. Shadow had been skeptical at the beginning, but he'd found himself enjoying the underdog story.

Wednesday morning passes by uneventfully. Shadow goes to his classes and does his work, just like any other day. At lunch he joins Manic behind the gym and they carry out the usual routine, although Shadow actually listens to his green-haired companion today, about the hover board Manic engineered some months ago, which, as far as Shadow understands, is just a flying skateboard. Eventually he has to cut Manic off.

“How is it that you have a new story every time I see you?”

Manic shrugs. “What can I say, I lead a very full life,” he answers with a lazy grin. Shadow frowns. A full life is one thing, but this is just ridiculous. He determines that Manic is probably just making up the majority of his stories.

Once the lunch period is over Shadow heads to math, where he doesn't make eye contact with anyone as he takes his seat. He finishes his worksheet quickly, and then spends the rest of class trying to figure out how exactly one would go about making a hover board. If Manic had, in fact, managed to assemble one then there's no reason Shadow shouldn’t be able to. It would be easy enough to make something that hovers along the ground if one had the right parts and knowledge, but Manic had made it sound like his actually flew. Perhaps if Shadow modifies a jet-pack....

By the end of class he has three full pages of notes dedicated to the concept, and a rough design.

PE comes after math, and Shadow finds himself feeling almost excited. Sure, PE is just as easy for him as everything else, but it's a bit more involved. Mondays and Tuesdays are dedicated to learning new things, Thursdays are review, and Fridays are game days. That leaves Wednesday, the middle of the week, for runs. It's supposed to break up the monotony of always doing the same thing, but Shadow doesn't particularly care about the reasoning. He just cares about the running, and since it's a particularly nice day, they'll be running in the forest beside the school.

As the students stretch, their coach starts pairing them up based on average run speeds. It's mainly a safety precaution, in case anyone trips on a root. As always, Shadow gets paired with Sonic. Sonic is the only person in the entire school that is faster than Shadow, and he never seems to break a sweat. As a result Shadow has considered him a rival for years. They're given the okay to start, and Sonic and Shadow quickly outpace their classmates. Shadow feels the adrenaline hit, and he feels wonderful. Free. He doesn't hold back, running as fast as he can sustainably go.

“You're good,” Sonic notes, distracting Shadow from the joy that is running. “I really think you should reconsider your previous decision about the track team. We could really use your speed.”

Shadow grunts. “What, the team's not satisfied with just you anymore?”

“I'm just one guy,” Sonic protests with a laugh. “I can't carry an entire team single-handedly.”

“You've managed so far,” Shadow points out, trying not to feel frustrated that he's going all out and Sonic has yet to break a sweat.

“Maybe, but Regionals are coming up. Having you on the team would guarantee us a spot all the way through to Nationals. Maybe further.”

Shadow huffs, both flattered and irritated by his rival's optimism and persistence. “I'll consider it, but I have prior commitments.”

Sonic grins. “That's better than a no. Shadow, if you join, you won't be sorry.”

Shadow rolls his eyes. Still, it's nice to be recognized by someone he considers an equal. After that the blue-haired boy is blessedly quiet, and Shadow is able to return to his inner peace.

Eventually the coach gestures for them to come in when one of their laps brings them within sight of him. “You two are amazing, but it's nearly time to head back. While I'm sure you guys could finish another lap, I'm obligated to call you in now.”

Shadow slumps to the ground gratefully. He always runs much harder than he should in the forest, trying to outpace his competition. As he catches his breath, Sonic grabs the spare water bottle he never seems to forget and tosses it to Shadow, like he does every week.

“Drink up, buddy, you've earned it.”

If Shadow weren't so parched he’d have some stern words about Sonic referring to him as 'buddy'.

After a quick shower in the changing room Shadow hastens to put on his uniform and get to Homeroom, where the teacher checks off that you're still at school and reminds everyone of any upcoming events that students require forms for. After that he heads to the office to find out who he's going to be tutoring.

“Oh, Shadow, hello,” the school's secretary greets. “What brings you in today?”

“I was told to come here about tutoring?”

“Ah, yes, of course. Just a second...,” she rifles around her desk for a moment before locating the correct paper. “Are you available Tuesdays and Thursdays from three to five?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent, then you will be tutoring Amelia Rose in History starting next week.”

“Tuesdays and Thursdays, three to five, Amelia Rose, History. Got it.” Shadow turns to go.

“Wait,” the secretary calls as he heads out the door. “Don't you want me to write it down for you?”

“No,” Shadow answers. “I'll remember.”

“Well at least let me give you the address.”

Shadow pauses, looking at her expectantly. “Well?” he urges when it becomes clear she's waiting for him.

“614, 7th Street Southwest. Unit 1102. It's in the Twinkle Park area.”

Shadow nods and leaves, finally getting to head home and resume his earlier calculations. Ultimately, he decides to go with skates instead of a board. Flying through the air, while cool, does not seem practical. Plus, with hover skates he'll have the option to walk normally without having to carry them, and won't be at risk of falling off.

He opts to skip school Thursday to work on a prototype, only stopping around two thirty to get ready for Rouge's arrival. He fully expects her to be late—she enjoys dawdling after class and talking to her friends—but he intends to be set up on time anyways. Shadow is never late if he can help it.

As expected, Rouge doesn't arrive until three. “Late as always,” Shadow teases.

“And yet you still wait. You're so well trained,” Rouge purrs, slow and sweet as honey.

Shadow makes a sound halfway between a snort and a laugh. “Are you ready?”

“I'm always ready, hon'. What are we watching tonight?”

“I was thinking we could watch _Cry of the Werehog_.”

“Isn't that movie like, sixty years old?” Rouge asks.

“More like seventy. Will that be a problem?”

“I'm not a fan of old movies,” she reminds him.

“And I'm not a fan of action comedies, but you don't see me complaining on your weeks.”

“Fair. So do you know who you'll be tutoring yet?”

“One Amelia Rose,” Shadow answers. The name isn't familiar to him, but Rouge knows everybody so-

“Amy?”

“You know her?” Shadow asks, even though it's clear that she does. A better question might have been _'How well do you know her?'_ but the words were already out.

“Yeah, she's Sonia's friend. She talks a lot and can be quite enthusiastic, especially when on the subject of Sonic. I suspect you'll get tired of it fast, but you should go easy on her. She's nice.” Shadow grunts, and the topic moves on as the movie starts up; Rouge is planning to have a pool party soon, and she wants Shadow to come.

Once their show is over Aziza makes them dinner. Then Rouge leaves and Shadow goes back to working on his hoverskates until he's convinced to go to bed.

Aziza makes Shadow go to school on Friday so that he can get all the work he missed Thursday, and Shadow spends the entire day impatient to get home to his hover skates. It passes even slower than usual, but it lets out eventually. As soon as it does Shadow runs home, eager to continue his project. The prototype is nearly ready for testing, in Shadow's estimation, and he can't remember the last time he was this excited about anything.

After two hours of tinkering, he decides it's time. Any other tweaks he needs to make will require actual testing to figure out. “I'm going out for a bit,” he calls as he heads to the door. “I'll be back before dinner.”

“Where do you go, _habibi_?” Aziza calls back.

“Just taking a walk, I'll see you later.”

“Be safe,” he hears as the door shuts behind him. He heads for the school, figuring the outdoor track would make a good practise rink. There's no one there once he arrives, and he puts on his new skates with a sense of barely concealed excitement. They're bulkier than his normal shoes, with a switch at the toes to activate them. They're not pretty, but that's because they're still a prototype. The key to using them, he suspects, is not activating them from standing, so he starts running, building up speed until he's ready. Once he feels like he's going fast enough he taps the switch, adjusting his gait so that his legs are sliding like they do when skating. The bottoms of the skates flare to life, and then he's flying along at speeds he’d never have dared to dream of. The wind catches his hair, and he finds himself grinning wider than he ever has before. This is amazing, even better than running.

The euphoria is short lived; one of his skates stalls and his foot hits the ground unexpectedly. For a moment, Shadow really _is_ flying. But the thing about flying is that you have to land eventually, and when he hits the ground, he hits it hard, skidding several meters before coming to a stop. Shadow lays there, just for a moment, trying to catch his breath. Everything hurts, and he feels wet, which isn't right. It isn't raining, why would he feel wet?

He should sit up and get his bearings, but the sky looks nice from here. Maybe he should lay down for a while. No, no, he needs to focus. Is that the sound of someone coming? He tries to sit up, but his vision starts blurring.

“Shadow?” a familiar voice echoes around him, yelled from a distance but too close to actually be far away. “Shadow, are you okay?” He gives up on sitting up, instead turning to look at whoever had come to see him. “Holy cow, Shadow, you need to stop moving. You're going to hurt yourself!” Hands push on his shoulders when he tries to sit again, keeping him on the ground. Blue hair and green eyes kneel over him. “Shadow, I'm going to get some help, but I need you to stay still. Can you do that for me, buddy?” Shadow nods, and it feels like there are hot pokers behind his eyes. The person is running away now, faster than Shadow can make sense of. He wants to sleep, but his mum is in the back of his head, telling him that sleep would be a bad idea.

 _“Stay awake,_ habibi. _Do not leave to sleep.”_

Shadow's head feels much less muddled when Sonic returns, and now that he can think clearly, he knows better than to sit. With Sonic is a small kid with fluffy orange hair. “Tails says we can't move you, but we've called an ambulance. How are you holding up?”

Shadow grunts. “I think I was in shock, but I feel a lot better now.” His head still hurts, though, and he's pretty sure he's bleeding. Still, he can think again. While waiting for the ambulance, he tries to figure out what went wrong. Sonic and Tails don't take the ambulance with him, but they arrive at the hospital soon after he does.

The ER runs several tests before ultimately determining that Shadow is fine. He has a bit of road rash, has lost a fair bit of blood, but nothing was as bad as it seemed; No concussion, no need for stitches. They tell him he's very lucky, and keep asking what he was doing. They seem a bit skeptical when he insists he was running, but ultimately accept it.

Once he's sure that Shadow is fine, Sonic leaves, apologizing profusely but explaining that someone is waiting. He runs off, and Shadow wonders if the guy even knows how to walk. Tails stays until Shadow's mum arrives, then he heads off as well.

Aziza rushes to Shadow's hospital bed and pulls him into her arms. “My son, what happens? You say you go to walk, but now you are here?”

“Mum, please,” Shadow gasps, trying to loosen her grip. “I was running and I tripped.”

“You run too fast, _habibi_. You must go slow.”

When they get home, Shadow goes straight to his room, hoping to figure out where he went wrong. Eventually he determines that one of the wires simply shorted, and decides to figure out how to prevent a repeat in the morning.

Shadow runs through metallic corridors, clinging tight to his companion's hand. He's younger, maybe nine or ten. He glances back at her and she's struggling to keep pace, but he doesn't slow down. Just a little further, they're almost there. Soon. The control room is in sight. As they pass through the doors, she trips, her hand slipping out of his grip as his momentum carries him a few more steps forward. By the time he manages to stop himself and turn around she's standing at the control panel, sweat messing her blond hair. He sees the men and their guns coming and intends to intercept them, but is stopped by a glass tube crashing around him. She'd hit the button.

She's talking to him, but he can't hear her over his racing pulse. The tube ejects and the last thing he sees is her body being torn apart by bullets.

“Maria!”

He screams her name loud enough to wake himself up. He's sitting up in his bed, tears in his eyes. For a moment he can't catch his breath.

His door opens and Aziza rushes in, climbing the ladder to his bed so she can rest a comforting hand on his back.

“You dreamed again.” It's not a question, and her tone is sad. Shadow nods. Ever since he'd woken up from the accident that had killed his father, he had been having this dream. He has it less often these days, but it still comes every few weeks. “Remember, dreams do not hurt you,” Aziza soothes, running her fingers through his hair. Shadow grunts. It hadn't felt like a dream- it never did. It felt real, and remembering does hurt.

He pulls away from his mother, sliding over the railing and dropping to the ground next to her so that he can head downstairs to the kitchen and make some tea. Aziza lets him go without interfering. He stares as the water boils, watches the bubbles fight to the surface, trying to break free. He doesn't know why he feels trapped so often. Aziza let's him do almost whatever he wants, rarely pushes him to do things he doesn't want to, and she gives him plenty of space. He's not limited by any personal disability either. He's fit, healthy, smart. It makes no sense for him to feel trapped. Eventually, he pours the water into the mug, letting the tea steep, adding cane sugar, milk, and mint leaves for flavour a few minutes later. Maria's broken body is all he sees as he drinks.

He spends the rest of his weekend refining the hover skates and working on homework, generally keeping his mind occupied. By Monday, it's as if the dream never happened. He remembers it, yes, but it's just that, the memory of a dream. Nothing worth his attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if you have any constructive criticism, questions, or feedback. The best way I can improve my writing is by knowing what other people think of it :)


	4. Chapter 3 - So many things need a push or pull to begin

Monday, November 7th, 5:41am, Amy's Bedroom

Amy finds herself awake nearly an hour before her alarm goes off. She can't help it though. How can she sleep when dreams no longer compare to her reality? The prospect of entering school holding Sonic's hand has her heart aflutter. She imagines people staring as they saunter in, blown away by how cute the new couple is. They'll be jealous of the love so clearly resonating between Sonic and Amy, and then, when the bell rings for class and as the two part ways, Sonic will lean in and kiss her cheek, telling her he misses her already.

There's no doubt about it; today is going to be perfect.

Because today is so important, Amy takes longer than usual accessorizing her uniform. Her socks have to be just right, her skirt pleats hanging just so. She can't decide whether she should wear her coat buttoned up or loose, and which headband should she wear? She takes the time to fluff her hair, using some mousse to put some extra wave into her usually sleek bob. She wonders if she should text him, or if it's too early? No, mustn't seem over-eager. She debates skipping breakfast, but a quick look at her phone shows her that she still has forty-five minutes to go.

Once she's done eating she can't wait any longer. She needs to see him, she loves him so much!

Amy bolts into the hallway and knocks on Cream's door nearly thirty minutes early. Her very surprised friend answers the door after several impatient moments of waiting on Amy's part. “Amy? Is everything okay? You're so early!”

“I couldn't wait, I'm just so excited to go to school today!” Amy gushes, earning a concerned look from her friend.

“Are you feeling okay, Amy?”

“Of course! I've never felt this good in my entire life! Everything is perfect and I can't wait to see everyone!”

“This is about your date with Sonic, isn't it? It went well, then?”

“Yes,” Amy squeals. “It went _so_ well! Now hurry up and eat!”

By the time Cream finishes eating, grabs her lunch kit and backpack, and slips on her shoes, half an hour has passed and it's their usual leaving time. Amy dances on the spot as she waits, filled to the brim with so much energy that she can't even stand it. As they head out, Amy finishes filling Cream in on all of the details about her date. Her friend smiles politely, making admiring noises at appropriate times.

When they arrive at the intersection where they always meet the triplets, Amy is disappointed to see that Sonic isn't there.

“Hey Sonia, hey Manic,” Amy and Cream greet in near unison.

“Hey Amy, hey Cream,” Sonia replies. Manic settles for a simple “Ladies.”

“Where's Sonic?” Amy asks.

“Oh, he left early again,” Sonia answers as the four teens start walking together.

“Oh…” disappointment leaks through her words despite her best effort. “I was so sure he would be here.”

“You were?” Sonia asks with a frown.

“Of course. I mean, he _is_ my boyfriend now.” The siblings shoot Amy startled looks at this. “Didn't he tell you?”

Sonia recovers first, replying with a frown. “No, he failed to mention it.”

“Oh. I guess he wanted it to be a surprise then? I shouldn't have said anything.” Amy feels immediately apologetic. She hadn't meant to ruin any plans Sonic might have had, it's just _so_ hard not to shout her new relationship status to the world when it's making her so very happy.

“That's probably it,” Sonia agrees, but she doesn't sound enthusiastic. Maybe she's disappointed on her brother's behalf?

Amy vows to get better about blurting other people's secrets.

Amy doesn't get to see her beloved until lunch, but the moment she does, she makes up for it by running across the room and throwing herself into his arms.

“Sonic!” she cries out. “I missed you this morning! Actually, I missed you all weekend! Did you miss me?”

“Ah, hey Amy. I, ah, of course I missed you?” he answers, gently trying to untangle himself from Amy's embrace. A muscular guy with crimson dreads that reach past his shoulders starts laughing uproariously beside them. “What's so funny, knucklehead?” Sonic demands, traces of actual irritation in his voice.

“You seem to be having lady trouble,” the boy points out, purple eyes dancing with laughter.

“Shut up. You're just jealous because girls don't fall all over you,” Amy's beau retorts.

“What? I have plenty of girls falling for me, I just don't flaunt it like you do,” the larger boy protests.

“Is that so?” a flirtatious voice asks from behind him. Amy looks to where Rouge is leaning over the table, a teasing smile tugging at her lips.

“I, err, yes? I mean, of course it is!” He insists, sweat forming on his brow.

Rouge's smile turns into a grin. “Well then, I'll have to tell Sonia. Maybe she'll think twice about going to the movies with you on Friday.”

As the boy starts protesting, Amy turns her attention back to Sonic. “Want to walk me home today?” she asks, trying to pull off Rouge's seductive smile look. “Just me and you?”

Sonic shoots Amy a weak smile of his own. “Ahh, gee Amy, you know I'd love to, but, uhh, I have plans? And you know how I hate to let people down. I really can’t cancel last minute. You, ah, you get it, right?”

“Oh, yeah, of course. That's too bad,” she answers with a pout. “So, um, what are your plans?”

“I, ah, promised a friend I'd help him out with some things and… stuff. You know how it is.”

“Ah, gotcha. Things. And stuff.” If Amy's life depended on guessing what things and stuff could be, she’d be doomed. She doesn't want him to think she's ignorant of his hobbies though, so she doesn't ask again. Besides, as his girlfriend, she should already know these things.

When the bell rings, Amy meets Blaze in the hall and excitedly launches into the story of her date on Friday all over again. “Blaze! Did you see? At lunch? Did you see?”

“You and Sonic? Yeah, I saw. Does that mean you're actually an item now?”

“Mhmm!” Amy still can't believe it. Sonic. Sonic! Star of the track team, most popular guy in school, friends with everyone. _Sonic_ is dating her. _Her_! It's incredibly overwhelming and wonderful.

Amy's day passes in a blissful haze, and by the end of it she barely remembers anything that wasn't directly related to Sonic. After school, she walks home with Cream and Manic, since Sonic and Sonia both have plans.

“I'm not too sure how I feel about you dating my brother,” Manic confesses once the school's out of sight, earning a distressed look from Cream and an indignant one from Amy.

“What?” Amy demands. “Why? Am I not good enough for him?” Cream opens her mouth to say something, but Manic beats her to it.

“What? Don't be stupid, if anyone isn't good enough, it's Sonic-”

“You're wrong,” Amy cuts in. “Sonic is perfect for me, so as my friend you should be _happy_ for me. Unless...” a wave of horror passes over Amy. “Oh no, you're not... you're not _jealous_ , are you?” she asks, aghast. Manic is her friend, if he has feelings for her then she shouldn't be flaunting a relationship with his brother! She-

Cream tries to say something again, but Manic's voice is louder. “What? No! Ew.”

“Ew?” Amy demands, horror replaced by deep offence. “What do you mean, _ew_?”

“Amy, come on, you're practically my sister! That would be like being jealous of someone dating Sonia, and-” he pauses to swallow. Cream tries to take advantage of the opening, but Manic recovers too quickly. “I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. Anyway, I just don't think that he's right for you. At all. And I don't want you getting hurt.”

“I appreciate the sentiment Manic, but I don't think it's any of your business. Plus, Sonic wouldn't hurt me. Really, it seems to me like you're letting your discomfort cloud your judgment.” With that, Amy speeds up her pace, refusing to look at Manic.

“Amy-” Manic starts, and Amy is just about ready to turn around and let him have it.

“Manic,” Cream interrupts in a tone Amy has only ever heard used when the girl is well and truly done with something. A beat later she picks up with “did you ever manage to finish that hover board?”

After a longer pause than necessary Manic replies, voice easy and upbeat like normal. “Yeah. There's still a few bugs, but for the most part she flies like a dream.” he says with an easy smile, relaxing his posture.

Despite herself, Amy slows down for her friends. Sure, she's irritated that Manic is clearly being selfish about her and Sonic, but she can't help but be awed by his technological skills. Building a hover board doesn't sound even remotely easy.

“You'll show us some time, won't you?” Amy asks, really hoping he will. Seeing a hover board might be almost as exciting as seeing Sonic. Maybe more, honestly, but it seems unfaithful to admit that, even if she's only admitting it to herself.

“Oh please, won't you?” Cream pleads, eyes wide. Amy’s lips curve into a small smile at her friend. Cream loves the idea of being able to fly, and even keeps a flight helmet in her closet; She once told Amy that she wanted to be a pilot someday. Amy wouldn't be surprised if Cream convinced Manic to let her ride the hover board.

“Sure, why don't you two swing by tonight and I'll take her for a test run,” Manic suggests as they near the intersection he turns off at.

“Really? You're sure you don't mind? Oh, that would be lovely,” Cream enthuses before turning to Amy. “Could we?”

Amy laughs. “You know you can go without me, right?”

Cream blinks at that. “Oh, I wouldn't want to impose,” she says, toeing the ground.

“I'll be testing at six tonight,” Manic says nonchalantly. “Swing by a little before then if you're interested,” he suggests with a wink for Cream, causing her to giggle. “Ladies,” he says, raising a hand in mock farewell salute before turning onto his street and walking off on his own.

…

A little before six Amy finds herself arriving at the triplets' house with Cream. Partially she's there to keep Cream company, and partially she's there to see the hover board. Mostly, though, she's hoping to bump into Sonic. Unfortunately, Sonic and Sonia are still out when Amy and Cream arrive, but Manic is there as promised, holding a strange red and yellow object. It kind of looks like a wide skateboard with stubby winglets at one end, or maybe a flattened rocket-ship.

“Alright, so she's still a prototype, and I think I can streamline her design a bit better, but this is my hover board,” he says, leading the girls into the back yard. “I call her Mina.”

“Why Mina?” Cream asks, and Manic shrugs.

“Why not?”

Neither of the girls has an answer to that, so they both give a return shrug.

Manic starts by hovering along the ground a bit, making sure the board is stable. Once he's satisfied nothing is misfiring, he kicks the engine up and starts flying higher and faster, doing some standard skateboard tricks with it in the air. On the one hand, Amy thinks that's a terrible idea, but on the other, she can't deny the coolness factor.

After about half an hour Aleena, mother of the triplets, comes out with a plate of snacks and drinks. The three of them take their time eating, laughing, and chatting about the hover board and Manic's plans for it. Mostly, he plans to use it to get internet famous making stunt videos. Amy's pretty sure he could use it to get a high paying engineering job instead, but the idea of Manic having a serious job seems absurd, so maybe he's onto something.

“So where did you get the parts for it?” she asks, and Manic shrugs uncomfortably.

“Oh, you know. Around. The dump mostly. Some things I had to get on loan, but I'm sure it's fine.”

“On loan?” Amy asks skeptically, but decides to drop it when he seems particularly uncomfortable with her scrutiny. Generally with Manic, you're better off not knowing the details.

“So, would either of you fine looking ladies like a ride before you head home?” Manic asks with a cheesy grin. Amy rolls her eyes at his antics, but finds herself smiling nonetheless.

“I'm good,” she says before looking at Cream.

Cream grins, nodding enthusiastically and reaching into her bag to pull out her old flight helmet. Once on it's clear the helmet's too big for her, but she looks so excited that Amy can't bring herself to point it out.

At first, Manic gets the smaller girl to stand in front of him, steadying her as they hover along the ground, but once it's clear she's got the balance not to fall off, he lets her ride on her own. As she takes the board higher, Amy and Manic share a grin. Cream's manners make her seem so small, but she's always had a hint of fire in her blood. She doesn't try any tricks, just enjoys the view as she zips around. When she finally lands her cheeks are flushed and she can't stop laughing. Sonia gets in as Amy and Cream are leaving. There's still no sign of Sonic, but Amy's not nearly as disappointed as she would have expected.

In fact, she enjoyed herself so much that she's still thinking about the evening's events in class the next day, and between those thoughts and waiting to watch Sonic run at lunch, her morning passes fairly quickly. Just like they do every Tuesday, Amy and her friends eat and then head out to the track. When they get there, she waves at Sonic, and he waves back before focusing on what he's doing. He's so focused on his running that he doesn't even seem to notice Amy cheering him on from the sidelines. When the bell rings, Amy is tempted to give Sonic a hug and tell him how amazing he was today, but Blaze reminds her that they only have five minutes to get ready for class.

When school ends Amy walks home with Sonia, Manic, and Cream. Apparently Sonic is busy again today, but that's not surprising with how popular he is. Once home, she changes into some comfy around-the-house clothes and starts painting her toenails and watching TV. Blue, she decides, like Sonic's hair. She's just finishing up when her condo's buzzer rings, reminding her that she has a tutor coming. Amidst all of her daydreaming about what she and Sonic will name their kids, she’d completely forgotten. She doesn't even bother to pick up the receiver, just buzzes the person in and then quickly cleans up her mess. She's just finished getting everything tidy and was heading down to her unit's first floor when a knock comes at the door. She answers only to see an older boy with golden-brown skin, thick black hair, and crimson eyes standing in the hallway.

“Hello,” he greets in a velvety-smooth voice. “My name is Shadow, I'm here to tutor Amelia Rose in history. I assume that's you?” His black hair falls in perfect waves around his face, flicking up at the tips. When he moves, the light catches in it, revealing hints of red throughout. If it weren't for the cold disdain in his expression, he would be beautiful. Instead, he's a bit scary.

“Ah, I prefer Amy,” she stammers as she steps aside to let him in, feeling nearly as nervous as she did on Friday.

Tuesday, November 8th, 7:00am, Shadow's Bedroom

Shadow wakes up to an obnoxious beeping somewhere to his left. He reaches around groggily in an attempt to locate the source, to no avail. Maybe he can drown it out, though. He pulls his pillow over his head, but it makes no difference. After a minute of this he gives up and drags himself to a sitting position, blearily looking around for his alarm clock. After a few moments he spots it on his dresser, which means he actually has to get up to turn it off. He grumbles to himself as he does so, continues grumbling as he grabs his towel and school uniform and goes to have a shower.

The rest of his morning passes routinely. Shower, dress, kiss Aziza on the cheek, grab a fresh-made muffin, and head out the door. The neighbourhood he lives in is a nice suburban neighbourhood where every house has a nice suburban yard. As a result, the walk to school is always incredibly unremarkable. Today is different, though. After spending almost all of Moday refining his skates he's sure they're ready for short periods of use. They'll still short out if overused, but they should be able to handle a distance like the one from his house to school. In fact, he's confident enough in them that today he's testing that exact distance.

The trip to school winds up taking a quarter of the usual time, maybe less, and it’s exhilarating. Certainly it's a better way to start the day off than walking. He hopes they continue working so well. At lunch Shadow considers joining the track practice just to show Sonic up with his skates, but decides that the victory would feel hollow, so he eats with Manic like he usually does.

After school he texts Aziza, reminding her that he's going to be tutoring today, and then heads to his student’s house. Or, apartment. He stares up impassively at the complex. The building has twelve floors, though only eleven seem to have units listed. Shadow checks the time, making sure he isn't too early. He has about forty minutes to kill, so he decides to sit on a nearby bench and read. At three precisely, he rings the buzzer labelled '1102. Rose'. Instead of getting an answer he's buzzed in, which is incredibly irresponsible. He could have been anyone. He doesn't pay much attention to the building's interior as he heads for the elevator, just enough to notice that it's a very nice building. After a quick ride he finds himself at the correct door and, taking a deep breath and reminding himself to be patient with his student, he knocks.

The pink-haired girl who caused a bit of a scene at lunch on Monday answers. She's about average height with a pale, creamy complexion and the widest eyes he has ever seen. They're a vibrant green that practically sparkles, even in the building's artificial lighting. She's also changed out of her uniform into a pair of leggings and either a very short dress, or a long tank top. He tries not to let his consternation about tutoring the girl he saw tackling Sonic show as he introduces himself and confirms that she's Amelia.

“Ah, I prefer Amy,” she stammers, stepping aside to let him in.

He enters the unit, taking note of its appearance. It has that level of clean that can only be achieved from daily cleaning, so either his student's mum doesn't work, or they have a daily cleaning lady. There's a hallway to the right, a comfortable living-nook to the left, and a staircase across from him, which explains the lack of units on the twelfth floor. He turns to Amy, gesturing vaguely into the unit. “Is there anywhere in particular you would prefer to study?”

“Oh,” she squeaks. “Yeah, of course. We can study in the living room, if that's okay with you? I mean, I don't see why it wouldn't be, it's a good living room. Very, ah, livable. Do you want anything to eat, though? Like a pre-study snack? I think my dad left some pie. Do you like pie? It's homemade. Mama makes the best apple-”

“Enough,” Shadow cuts in, interrupting the senseless babbling. “Amelia, if you're going to be tutored by me then you're going to need to be less...” he fumbles for a moment, looking for a polite way to share his thought. “Excitable,” he decides. “I'll need you to be less excitable.”

“Sorry! I just, I don't really know you, y'know?” Amy explain-asks with a nervous smile. Shadow just stares at her for a moment, unsure of how to respond. If anything, his bewildered look just makes her more flustered. “I'm sorry! If it's not too much trouble, could we maybe have a snack before we begin? I can't focus on an empty stomach.”

Shadow resists the urge to point out that she had plenty of time to eat before he arrived, if hunger is such an issue. Still, he doesn't exactly relish the idea of trying to teach her in this state, so he decides to allow it. “Alright, we can eat something, but then we study. And next time you need to eat before I arrive if hunger is going to be an issue. Understood?”

Amy nods a bit too fast. “Of course, sure. The table's this way.” She gestures to the hall on his right and manages a small smile. Shadow doesn't bother to return it before walking the way she pointed and finding himself turning into a very well appointed kitchen. Through the kitchen he goes, finding himself at a glass wall with doors onto the patio, to his left is a dining area large enough to comfortably hold a dining table and eight seats, and to the right is a door. The wall of windows spans the entire dining area and boasts a lovely view of the park next to the building. Shadow takes his seat at the dining table and pulls some history books out of his bag which he begins to arrange while Amy grabs their food. By the time she arrives with two slices of re-heated pie, each with a scoop of ice cream on top, Shadow has laid out his textbooks and notes on the dining table to his satisfaction.

The pie, admittedly, smells delicious.

“I'm sorry you got stuck with me,” Amy says softly as she hands him a slice and takes the seat next to him. “I can be a bit scatterbrained and I'm sure I won't be the easiest student, so I understand if you start getting frustrated with me.”

“As long as you actually want to learn, we shouldn't have a problem,” Shadow replies, taking a bite out of the food. The flavour is a pleasant surprise, and he concedes that the girl might not have been exaggerating her mother's baking skills.

While they eat he barely replies to her, and yet the difference after their snack is immediately evident. Amy seems much more at ease. Certainly her babbling is not so nervous any more, if no less incessant. Still, he's not sure if he can do this twice a week. But, he promised Aziza. He takes a deep breath.

“Amelia, how do you expect to retain any of this if you change the subject at every opportunity and don't wait for me to answer your questions?”

“Right, you're right. I'm just so excited, because Sonic finally asked me to be his girlfriend on Friday, and I just can't believe how lucky I am, y'know?” Shadow does know. Amy has told him about it four times already. It's almost impressive, her ability to move any topic back to Sonic. He’s very thankful that his two hours are nearly up.

“Amelia, if you can't focus on history, I will not be coming back,” he pauses, something in her wording not sitting quite right. “Also, didn't you say that you asked him?”

“Well, yes, technically I did, but it's basically the same thing.” It's really not, but continuing this conversation seems counterproductive to his intention of keeping things professional.

“Right. Well, if you could please close your book, I'm going to quiz you on what we've gone over. If you can get half of the answers right, I won't consider this a complete waste of my time and will endeavour to continue tutoring you.”

Amy gets under half, but her effort seems sincere so Shadow decides it's close enough. He'll let her get away with it this once, but only because she tried very hard. It has nothing to do with the utterly defeated look in her so-very wide eyes when he’d told her she was two answers short.

The next day Shadow goes out of his way to be at Rouge's house early enough to drive to school with her. She lives on the far side of town, but the hoverskates cut down his travel time considerably.

“Well this is unexpected,” she teases when she sees him waiting. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I figured I should tell you that our Thursday movie nights will either need to happen in the evening, or be moved to a different day of the week.”

“Oh? I take it you've decided to actually be serious about this tutoring thing then?”

He nods. “I have. Amelia can be frustrating, but I promised Aziza. Plus, she actually wants the help.”

Rouge shrugs as they climb into her white convertible with its pink interior. “Fair enough. If it's alright with your mum, I'll start showing up later then. Maybe I could pick you up from Amy's? Then we can have dinner and watch our movie before I head home.”

“I'd prefer a bit of alone time after tutoring, if that's alright with you.”

She nods. “Six or seven, then?”

“Works for me,” Shadow replies.

“Plus, this way I can hear all about your tutoring while the sessions are still fresh in your mind,” she says with a grin. Shadow rolls his eyes.

“Yes, I can see the appeal. Truly there will be no hotter gossip than whether or not Amelia is able to recall the third king of Ancient Mobius.”

Rouge nods solemnly. “I'm glad you understand.”

At school the two part ways, Rouge going to find her friends and Shadow going to wait in his homeroom. Shadow considers going home after lunch, but decides to stick it out for the afternoon run. It's overcast today so they're running on the track, but that suits Shadow just fine. Sonic likes to show off when he isn't stuck running with someone, so he won't be bothering Shadow about joining track today.

Once school lets out Shadow puts his hover-skates back on and heads home. He's halfway there when one of the small rockets on the bottom of them sputters and dies, slamming his foot into the pavement and tripping him up. He's ready for the experience this time, twisting his body as he hurdles through the air, curling his shoulder and bringing his arm up. He lands on the shoulder and manages to execute a pseudo-somersault. His intent is to land on his back with, ideally, minimal damage. To his credit he does manage to land on his back without hurting it, but the wind is knocked out of him and if the pain is any indication then his shoulder is going to be a mess of bruises by nightfall.

After the longest minute of Shadow's life, he manages to get his breath back. Another minute of letting his nerves settle passes before he sits up to inspect himself. The arm and shoulder he’d braced himself with look pretty scraped up, and bruises are already beginning to form, but that looks like the worst of it so Shadow gets up, only to promptly fall back with gritted teeth. Crap. He takes off the skate that sputtered out and pokes at his ankle. Not only is it very tender and sensitive, but it's already beginning to swell up. Not good.

Frowning, Shadow attempts to stand again. It's unpleasant, but do-able. Not too wobbly. Painful, but bearable. He can do this. One step, two, three... he seems to be managing, but there is definitely more damage than simple bruising would merit. Probably a sprain, then. A minor one, given his ability to walk it off. It will likely take about a week or so to heal, if Shadow remembers the medical text he read last summer correctly. Perhaps he should re-read it. Regardless, the pain is nothing Shadow can't deal with, so he continues on his way home.

In the morning Shadow is surprised to discover that his ankle feels fine. The swelling has gone down and there's minimal bruising. Not a sprain after all, then. He had been so sure.... He debates whether or not he intends to go to school for a moment before grabbing his clothing and getting in the shower.

Wednesday, November 9th, 9:51am, Station Square Academy

Amy clucks her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she stares out the window. She knows she should be working on her biology report, but she keeps thinking about yesterday's tutoring session and also the fact that she's barely seen Sonic since they started dating. Like sure, there's probably a good reason, he's popular and has many extracurricular activities, but she can't help but wonder.... No, best not to doubt him. There's a good reason. There has to be.

As for the tutoring, well that's just all kinds of mixed feelings. Yes, Shadow seems to know what he's talking about, and he even made some things easier to understand, but he's also just... intimidating. And quiet. And then there's his perpetually grumpy demeanour.... The way he looks at her makes Amy feel like he's judging her and finding her lacking. There's also his reputation. The first time she'd seen him, someone had whispered to her that he was dangerous and she should stay away from him, that he'd once broken someone's arm for getting in his way. True, she'd never seen any evidence to support those rumours, but there has to be a reason no one ever confronts him.

Amy isn't _afraid_ of Shadow, but she doesn't really want to see him twice a week either; especially if he's going to keep looking at her in such a disapproving way.

Then again, he'd smiled when he tasted the pie—not much of a smile, but she'd been keeping an eye out for one—so he can't be all bad. After all, how could someone who enjoys mama's pie be bad?

The bell ringing for locker break snaps Amy out of her internal struggle and she quickly packs up and heads to Sonic's locker. She's determined to get him to talk to her at lunch, because maybe then he'll realize that their love can only blossom into the beautiful flower it's meant to be if he actually spends time with her. It isn't long before he shows up.

“Amy? What are you doing here?”

“Aren't you happy to see me, Sonic?” she teases. “I'm happy to see you.” She wraps her arms tightly around him.

“Ah, you know I'm always happy to see you, Amy, I'm just surprised, is all,” he says as he removes himself from her loving embrace.

“Why would you be surprised? We go to the same school!”

“Ah, haha, yeah....”

“Anyways I was wondering... could we eat together today? Like, just the two of us?”

“Ah, I'm not so sure about that...” Sonic begins, causing Amy's lower lip to begin trembling. “Ah, no no no! That came out wrong. What I meant is, uh, I just don't think it would be fair to your other friends, keeping you to myself,” he amends quickly.

“Oh Sonic!” Amy's expression softens into its usual look of adoration. “You're always so considerate! I'm the luckiest girl in the whole world! But...” she hesitates, feeling unsure.

“But...?”

“It's just, I've been hoping we could talk about us? And, I know that you're busy after school most days....”

“Ah. Yeah, I think we should talk about us too. Lunch, then?” Amy nods. “Okay. How about I meet you by the track?”

The bell rings, causing Amy to jump. Is locker break really already over? “Yeah, the track works,” she agrees before turning and running. Her next class is at the far end of the school and she still needs to get her books from her locker!

History drones on for hours in Amy's mind. This has got to be the longest single class she's ever had to sit through. She just wants it to be lunch already so that she can eat with Sonic. He's agreed to discuss their relationship! This is good! They'll talk and then he'll start spending more time with her, and they'll be able to proudly display their love to the world. Amy can't wait!

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the lunch bell rings. Amy is the first student out of her class, and manages to even be one of the first five people in the cafeteria itself. She grabs her food and makes her way to the bleachers before any of her friends find her. She's too nervous to eat while she waits for her beloved to arrive so she settles for twiddling her thumbs.

“And here I thought you were the fastest in our school,” she teases when Sonic shows up five minutes later, causing him to laugh.

“Even I can't speed up the lunch line, Ames. You, on the other hand, have clearly learned some sort of witchcraft,” he says with a grin and Amy's heart can't handle it, that grin is just too perfect. For a minute everything is good and easy and comfortable. Then the grin fades and the moment is over. “So, you wanted to talk to me?”

She swallows and nods, not sure how to start. “Yeah, it's just... you're always so busy, and I don't blame you or hold that against you, but it makes me feel like you don't love me.” Her eyes water as she admits it, and she balls her hands into fists in her lap. She should have more faith in her boyfriend.

“Amy...” Sonic sighs. “You know I love you. I just... I don't... I... this isn't....”

“Are you breaking up with me?” Her voice hitches as she says it, and when Sonic meets her eyes she tries very hard not to let her tears fall. As far as Amy's concerned, Sonic holds the fate of the world in his hands right now. She tries not to let that show, though. Bites her lip to keep from pouting, lest she guilt him into or out of any decisions.

“Of course not, Amy! You're my best girl, you know that,” he assures her, his face vaguely pained. Amy’s heart swells knowing that the idea of breaking up hurts him too. The dread leaves, and she beams up at him.

“Really, Sonic? You mean that?”

“Of course I do,” he answers with a firm nod, conjuring up a tight smile. Amy squeals and throws her arms around him.

“I'm really glad to hear that,” she whispers, face hidden in his chest. “But Sonic?” She glances up at him, almost shy. “Could we please spend more time together?”

“Ah, yeah, I...” he stops for a moment, looking to the sky to collect his thoughts. “Is there any particular day you can't do?”

“I have tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” she answers. “But other than that-”

“Oh, really? Man, that really sucks,” Sonic says with a pout. “I'm only free Tuesdays right now. Ugh. I guess we'll have to figure something else out,” he decides. “But, ah, not right now.”

“What, why not?”

“I, ah, there's something I need to return to the library, and I won't have time after school,” he explains, getting to his feet as he does so. “I'll see you around!”

“Couldn't I go with you?” Amy calls after him, but he's already running off. She lets out a frustrated growl. Oh, how she hates it when he leaves her behind!

The rest of Wednesday passes easily enough, and then Amy walks home with Cream and Sonia. Apparently Sonic is working on something with his friend Tails, which is why they're hanging out so often. Manic, on the other hand, has detention for using someone's missing phone in class after his own phone was confiscated.

“So are you guys going to Rouge's pool party next Saturday?” Sonia asks.

“Rouge is having a pool party?” Amy asks, surprised that this is the first she's hearing of it.

“Oh, right. Yeah, she's going to start inviting people tomorrow, but she told me I could go ahead and invite you guys tonight.”

“If Sonic doesn't want to go on a date with me that night then sure.” It's a well-documented fact that Sonic doesn't like swimming, so the odds of him going are low. Everybody else will probably be there, though, so there's a good chance he'll be free if Amy asks.

“Err, right,” is all Sonia has to say on the matter, but that isn't important. After all, she probably doesn't want to think of her brother dating. Who would _want_ to know about their brother's love life? Not Amy! Not that Amy has a brother, but she imagines it would be similar to thinking about her parents' love life.

“I'm not too sure,” Cream admits. “I don't really know Rouge that well, and she's so much older than me. Are you sure she'd want me there?”

“Don't be silly Cream, do you think Sonia would really pass on the invitation if Rouge didn't want you there? You should definitely go,” Amy insists. Cream shoots her a grateful smile.

Sonia tries a different tactic. “I know you don't know Rouge very well, but I'm going to be there, and Blaze and Amy probably will too. It wouldn't be the same without you.”

“Okay, okay,” Cream laughs. “I'll go.”

On Thursday, Amy invites Cream over for an after school snack before Shadow is due to arrive. The two watch the news in Amy's room as they eat and chat. Cream lets Amy in on the secret to a truly rich chocolate cheesecake while a reporter talks about a mysterious package found on government property in the background.

The buzzer rings at three PM sharp and Amy gets up to answer it. “Shadow?” she checks through the intercom.

“Amelia,” his velvety voice answers. “May I come in?”

“Sure thing,” she replies, ignoring her irritation at his continued use of her full name.

Cream rushes downstairs to put her plate in the sink and grabs her bag and shoes. “Thank you for having me,” she says with a small curtsy, before heading to her own condo.

The door is still open a crack when Shadow arrives, and he raises an eyebrow at Amy as he enters. Amy just kind of shrugs in response before leading the older boy to the dining area, which had proven to be a good study area on Tuesday.

“So what are we going to work on today?” she asks in an effort to fill the silence.

“Your class is studying the ancient Mobians, correct?” She nods as they take their seats, and Shadow slides her a textbook. “Then that's what we'll be reviewing.”

Amy manages to focus for an entire forty-five minutes before her mind wanders back to Sonic. Perhaps she should call him about going on a date next Saturday? Thursday is track so he'll likely be home by-

“Amelia,” Shadow's tone is sharp as a knife cutting right through her thoughts. She flinches. “We are not here to think about boys. We are here because you need to learn.” Amy feels her face burn at the comment, but still manages to stammer out an apology.

“I'm sorry, I just can't stop thinking about Sonic. We haven't really had much time to spend together, you see, and-”

Shadow cuts her words off as easily as her thoughts. “Amelia, please. Can we just... never talk about Sonic? Ever?”

She pauses, surprised by the genuine frustration in Shadow's voice. “But… but he's my boyfriend,” she finally points out.

“He's a distraction; one that you can't afford if you want to pass this course.” She opens her mouth to protest but Shadow cuts her off again. “I think I have some ideas to make this easier for you, but you have to promise that you will no longer speak of your boyfriend in my presence.”

Amy is torn. On the one hand she knows she should be trying harder, on the other....

“How can I not talk about him when he's all I think about?”

“Try thinking about something else- your school work, perhaps.”

She splutters. “Seriously? That's your advice?”

He shrugs. “Take it or leave it.”

She stares at him for a moment before deciding to drop it. “What did you have in mind to make things easier?”

“Study breaks.”

“Study breaks?” she repeats.

“Yes. Thirty minutes of studying and then a five minute break where you can do whatever you'd like. Except talk about Sonic.” The last words are tacked on as an amendment, which causes Amy to laugh.

“That sounds do-able,” she admits. “And all I have to do is not mention... him?”

“Who?” Shadow asks, and if it weren't for the brief flicker of amusement in his otherwise detached eyes she might have fallen for it. Instead, she ignores the bait and pulls one of the textbooks over to her. As a result she doesn't see his triumphant smile.

They study for a bit, and then Shadow gives Amy her first break. She uses it to stretch her legs and grab a snack.

“Lemon tart?” she calls to him from the kitchen, grabbing one of the remaining pastries from yesterday's home ec. class for herself.

“Sure,” he calls back.

When Shadow finishes eating, he licks the residual filling off his fingers instead of grabbing a napkin from the holder on the table, and Amy can't help the wave of pride.

“I made those,” she tells him in a soft voice, earning a startled look. It's quickly covered by his usual cold expression.

“And here I thought all your time was dedicated to daydreaming about Sonic.”

Amy feels a flush creeping up her neck. For a moment, she thinks he might be joking, but his face lacks any expression other than its standard cold veneer. And just when she thought there was more to her tutor than condescension and judgment, too!

“At least my time isn't dedicated to stroking my own ego and putting everyone else down!” She snaps. Shadow levels her with a flat look, and she remembers his reputation too late. “I'm sorry,” she stammers, “I didn't mean-”

“Of course you did,” he cuts in. “I'm not a nice person, and I think it's very clear that neither one of us wants me to be here.”

Amy blinks, caught off guard by the observation. “What makes you say that?”

“You think I don't see the way you look at me? Think I don't see you flinch when I speak? I'm not blind, Amelia.”

“Oh.”

“Oh,” he agrees. “Now then-”

“In my defence,” Amy begins as her emotions flare again, “you look at me like dirt. I know there's more to you than a bad reputation, but it's hard to look past that when you're always such a butt.”

It's Shadow's turn to blink. “Did… did you just call me a butt?”

“Yes.”

He presses his lips together in a thin line, like he's trying to repress a smile- but that would be ridiculous. “I see. Well, I... I'm not here to make friends, but perhaps my efforts at maintaining professional distance have been...” he trails off as he looks for the right word, and Amy decides to help him out.

“Unnecessarily dickish?”

Again, that expression like he's trying not to smile. “Not the words I would have chosen, but yes. However, it now occurs to me that creating a hostile environment is not conducive to furthering your studies, so I will endeavour to be less of a… butt.”

Amy isn't nearly as good at keeping smiles off her face or laughter out of her voice. “I can't believe you just called yourself a butt! I mean, if that was supposed to be an apology, it was terrible, but I'll take it.” She grins at him, holding out a hand. “I won't talk about Sonic, and you won't be a butt.” For a moment Shadow just stares at her proffered hand as if unsure of what he's supposed to do. When he does take it, his hand is warm and surprisingly soft.

“Deal,” he says, and the lack of derision in his tone makes his voice seem as soft as his hand. As soon as he lets go he glances at his phone. “It's a bit late to continue with your studies, how about I quiz you and we call it a day?”

“Okay.”

“The ancient Mobians worshipped stones that they believed to be primal energy sources. What were these stones called and how many were there in total?”

“The Chaos Emeralds. There were eight, right?”

Thursday, November 11th, 6:18pm, Shadow's Bedroom

Rouge can tell Shadow's in a good mood from the moment he opens the door. It's not always easy to figure out what Shadow's feeling at any given time, but she's known him long enough to know what his relaxed posture looks like, and the way the corners of his mouth twitch when he feels like he's succeeded at something.

“I take it your date with Miss Rose went well?” She drawls.

Shadow raises an eyebrow at that, an expression Rouge had helped him cultivate in the eighth grade. “You do know that she has a boyfriend, right?” he points out as he lets her in instead of protesting the idea of dating anyone at all. A very good mood, then.

Rouge waves the statement off. “Since when does that stop people from going out with each other?”

Shadow snorts, folding himself onto his favourite couch cushion. “I'll have you know, I'm a gentleman.”

It's Rouge's turn to raise an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

“Of course, and as a gentleman I do not date anyone who already has a boyfriend.”

“And what if they have a girlfriend?”

“I'll tell you if it ever comes up,” Shadow answers with a shrug, and it's Rouge's turn to laugh.

“Appreciate it. But, what if Sonic weren't in the picture?”

He tucks a lock of hair behind his ear. “As a gentleman, I also don't date my students.”

“Ah, of course. Well then, how was your regular, ordinary study session?”

“It was a study session. Amy daydreamed, I reprimanded her, there were lemon tarts.”

“Lemon tarts? How scandalous.”

Shadow snorts. “Truly. So, what's new with you?”

Rouge fills Shadow in on all the latest gossip until Aziza calls them for dinner. As always, Shadow puts on a good act of being indifferent to the lives of their peers, but he never fails to remember all the little details that even Rouge forgets, and he never needs reminders on who's who. It's possible his memory is just that good, but if that were the case, why doesn't he remember anything before his accident? No, Rouge is pretty sure he's just more interested than he cares to admit.

Dinner is pita bread and stuffed peppers, and it smells amazing. It tastes even better, since Shadow’s mom is one of the few parents that knows how to make good vegetarian food. She'd long since given up on dinner at Sonia's; Aleena tries, but she's used to relying on chicken broth to flavour her meals.

Aziza, though? Her cooking is by far the best thing Rouge has ever tasted. Better, even than her chef's. Unfortunately, Shadow's mum has no desire to be a personal chef. She knows- her parents had asked.

“Will you _please_ give me the recipe this time?” Rouge pouts.

“Family secret,” Aziza replies, bringing a finger to her smiling lips. “Marry my Shadow, and I be happily teaching you.”

Shadow chokes on his food, but Rouge just laughs. It's a bit of a running joke, one that never fails to get under Shadow's skin.

“ _Mother_ ,” he complains when he manages to clear his airway. “You know me and Rouge are just friends.”

“Ah, but I do dream,” Aziza teases, eyes dancing with repressed laughter. “Such handsome grandchildren I would have.”

At this point Shadow's ears turn a deep red and he visibly cringes. Rouge, meanwhile, is outright cackling. “We _would_ make pretty babies, wouldn't we hon'?”

“Please stop,” Shadow groans, covering his face with his hands and earning more laughter from the two women.

“You know what, I don't think I’d want such a grumpy partner anyway. How about you adopt me instead, Aziza? Then I can get the recipes without having to marry him.”

Aziza flaps her hand in Rouge's direction. “Such a cheeky girl! Perhaps you are right. Shadow must find a… sweeter bride.”

“I couldn't agree more. But, I'm dead serious about those recipes. If I find him a suitable wife, then can I have them?”

For some reason the idea of marrying someone else does nothing to stop Shadow's grimacing and groaning, but Rouge can't fathom why.

“Deal,” Aziza says, and Shadow lowers his head onto the table.

“You guys suck,” he grumbles.

After dinner Shadow goes to clean up the dishes, but Aziza waves him off. “You have company,” she chides, as she does whenever Shadow tries to clean while Rouge is over.

“I thought of what I want for my birthday this year,” Rouge announces as she heads to his room.

“Oh?” he follows, settling onto his couch as she sets up the movie of the night.

“Mhmm. I'm having a party next Saturday, and I'd like you to attend.”

He frowns. “We should go back to discussing our hypothetical children instead.”

“Don't be ridiculous,” Rouge chastises, dropping next to him.

“Isn't that the pool party you were talking about?”

“Yes. And I want you to stay for most of it.”

Shadow groans, but he also nods and for a moment she wants to throw her arms around him, the way Amy threw her arms around Sonic. But, unlike Amy, she resists the urge, knowing that Shadow doesn't handle being startled well. Instead she leans against him, resting her head on his shoulder when he wraps an arm around her waist.

Shadow complains about the unrealistic stunts and the poorly thought out plot through the entire movie, and Rouge hopes more than anything that they never lose this if he ever does wind up in a relationship.

Saturday, November 13th, Evening, Shadow's Bedroom

Shadow's weekend starts off much the same as any other: he reads, he does homework, and he works on his latest project; his hover-skates, in this case. He's happy enough with the prototype to move the parts into a more streamlined pair of shoes. They're still bulkier than he’d prefer, but they're not as heavy and they look a bit less ridiculous- more like expensive sneakers and less like shoes with bricks attached to the bottom. Still, he wouldn't call them ready yet. More testing Saturday evening proves that they're still prone to shorting. It also proves that he's gotten much better at catching himself. He's trying to figure out what to do next when a thought occurs to him: Manic.

He pulls out his phone, and is glad that Manic had stolen it long enough to add his contact information right before summer break last year.

 _“_ _Are you busy?”_ – Sent, 8:46 PM

After sending the text, he wonders how long he'll have to wait. Perhaps he should have just called....

_“_ _holy shit, shadow????”_

“ _fuck yeah im free”_

 _“_ _whats up????”_ – Received, 8:57 PM

 _“_ _Were you telling the truth when you told me about your hover board?”_ – Sent, 8:58 PM

_“_ _ye”_

_“_ _why??”_ – Received, 8:58 PM

He considers asking Manic to bring it to the school, but there isn't much light here.

 _“_ _Could I come take a look at it?”_ -Sent, 8:58 PM

 _“s_ _ure!! when did you have in mind???”_ –Received, 8:59 PM

Shadow pauses. Hadn't asking Manic if he was busy made it clear that he meant right now?

 _“Does right now work for you?”_ -Sent, 8:59 PM

He waits impatiently as the minutes go by. He definitely should have called. He much prefers calling to texting; you can get the information you need and then be done with it. No mid-conversation waits.

_“_ _yeah, now works”_

_“3286 mission st sw”_ – Received, 9:06 PM

Well, that's a surprise. He passes Mission Street SW on his way to school every day. It's about ten minutes from his own house, at the edge of his suburban neighbourhood.

 _“_ _Alright. Be there in 20.”_ -Sent, 9:07 PM

The house is a modestly sized single story affair with a beautiful front garden. Four steps lead up to a small porch and the front door. When he knocks Sonic answers.

“Shadow?” he questions, clearly taken aback. “Is this about the track team? How did you get my address?”

Shadow raises an eyebrow. “I'm stalking you, clearly. Where's Manic?”

Sonic blinks, then steps aside. “Didn't realize you two were buds. He’s down the hall, third door on your left.”

The hall way has two doors on the left before it turns. Shadow tentatively knocks on the door that would be at the end if the hall didn't turn to the right. _Technically_ Sonic's right, this is the third door on the left, but Shadow kind of hates him for it.

“Sorry for the mess,” Manic greets when he opens the door. “I haven't cleaned in, ah… years. Why the sudden interest in my hover board?”

Looking past him Shadow can see that Manic's room is a disaster. Under a window across from the door is an unmade bed with a desk at its foot. A half-eaten meal sits on a cat tree next to a beanbag chair facing a dresser with clothing spilling out of it. A TV is perched precariously on a shelf above the dresser, nestled among papers and knickknacks. The floor is hidden under a wave of clothing and a box of miscellaneous hardware is gathering dust under the desk. On top of all that, the room smells... musty.

“I'm working on a similar project, but one of the jets keeps shorting. I was hoping to compare notes if you've had similar issues.”

“Oh, yeah feel free to take a look. I've had months to fine-tune Mina, so maybe she'll give you some insight.” He kicks aside a pile of fabric and then passes Shadow the red and yellow object that was hiding underneath. “Sit wherever you like. Tools are,” he glances around, “under the desk, next to my spare parts.” Then he pulls himself onto his dresser and watches.

After much debate, Shadow decides that the foot of the bed is least offensive available surface and perches himself there, crossing his legs and pulling the hover board into his lap. He can't help but ask: “Do you actually work in this mess?”

Manic laughs, “Not even a little. Mostly I work out on the deck or in the basement.”

Shadow nods, grabbing a screwdriver and opening the board. “Seems practical.” He carefully pokes around at the machine's innards, Manic watching him all the while. He can't blame the other teen, though. He'd keep a diligent watch over anyone poking through his stuff, too.

“Finding any inspiration?” Manic asks when Shadow spends longer than usual looking at one area in particular.

“Maybe. What's this cylindrical object you're using as fuel?” Shadow wonders, looking at a glass tube a bit wider than his thumb that seemed to contain a purple crystal. Something about it calls to him, makes the hair on his arms stand on end. Whatever it is, it doesn't feel safe.

“Oh, no idea man. I found it when I was scavenging for parts and it seemed cool. It seems like some sort of infinite source of power, though. Without it, I don't think Mina would fly half as smoothly.”

That sounds incredibly sketchy, but... “Any shorts since you started using it?”

“Nope.”

“I don't suppose you have a spare?”

Manic laughs. “Brah, even if I did have an extra, I had a hard enough time getting that one. You're cute, but not _that_ cute.”

“I thought you found it while scavenging?” Shadow asks, ignoring the vague almost-flirt. Manic suddenly seems very interested in his phone and a few snippets of previous conversations come to mind. “You stole it,” Shadow realizes.

“Stole is such a negative word. I like to think I liberated it.”

He snorts. “Well, how did you deal with shorts before acquiring a mysterious and likely radioactive power source?”

“I got really good at the tuck and roll manoeuvre.”

“I see. Any other advice?” Even as he asks the question, Shadow knows the answer.

“Get higher quality parts?”

He considers for a moment. “Where did you _liberate_ it from?”

“You know the robots they have guarding the government offices?” Manic asks.

“I know of them. G.U.N., right?”

“Correct-o-mundo. I disabled one and tried to reprogram it so I could have one of my own, but it started sounding an alarm so I stole its parts instead. That weird little tube was one of them.”

For a moment Shadow just stares, then he shakes his head and gently places the still-open hover board on the bed beside him. “If you don't want to tell me just say so, don't make up stories,” he reprimands as he gets up.

“What? Wait,” Manic yelps, slipping off his dresser and catching Shadow by the wrist as he tries to leave. Shadow shoots the wiry teen a death glare. “Dude, look. I swear I'm telling the truth.”

“You're telling me you fought a security robot and won?” Shadow asks, putting as much skepticism into his voice as he can manage.

“What? Don't be stupid. I snuck up on one of those floating sentry-bots and took it out with a baseball bat.” That's not much more believable, and Shadow says as much. “Look, the sentry-bots are easy enough when you know their routes, okay? I'll prove it.” And then Manic was the one leaving his room, still clutching Shadow's wrist.

“What?” Shadow asks, not making any effort to get free. “No. Manic, this is a terrible idea. Besides, I should have been home ages ago. Aziza will kill me. Manic!”

“Dude, you're bleeding,” Manic points out as he attempts to get a better look at Shadow. Shadow continues swatting his hands away.

“I said I'm fine,” he insists. “It's just a scrape.”

“A scrape you wouldn't have gotten if you'd just ridden the hover board with me,” Manic points out. Shadow knows Manic's right, knew he was right even before insisting on using his skates. But how does he explain the electric tingle he felt along his spine the moment the board fired up? The way it branched from his spine and buzzed along his nervous system?

No, Shadow would much rather risk a trip into the heart of the city on his faulty skates than get any closer to that activated power source than he absolutely had to. “Look, we're almost there. Another few minutes by foot, right? Let's just get what we came for and go.”

Manic practically growls, roughly shoving a hand through his green locks. “Fine,” he bites out. “But if you bleed to death it isn't my fault.”

They continue on until they wind up in an alley across the road from an imposing government building. Football shaped sentry-bots float around the perimeter. They may not be as heavily armed as the security robots, but they still have little plasma-blasters attached to their undersides. They watch for a little while until a patrol pattern emerges. Once it does Manic turns to Shadow.

“Okay, you wait here and I'll grab us a robot.”

Shadow scowls. “What? No way, you're not going in alone.”

Manic returns the scowl. “You're limping, asshole. You'll get us caught. Just wait here and be ready to run if things go tits up.”

He's right, and Shadow hates it. He's still not entirely sure how Manic got him to agree to this fool's errand in the first place, but they're here now and Shadow's pride is insisting that there's no turning back. “Whatever, just don't get shot.”

Manic laughs at that, “Relax, I'm a pro.”

Shadow watches as Manic darts across the street while a sentry-bot swings around. The wiry teen sidles along the wall, baseball bat in hand, and it finally sinks in that this is, by far, the stupidest thing Shadow has ever done. Cutting class is one thing, but stealing heavily armed government property? Stupid.

Manic is beneath the robot now, readying his bat. His form is terrible, but he strikes true. The robot drops to the ground, siren blaring and gun shooting at nothing. He hits the robot again and the casing comes loose on one side. He pries it off, then he reaches in, looking for something. He pulls out a glowing green cylinder, like a recoloured version of the one in the hover board, and the siren stops. Manic doesn't bother grabbing anything else from the robot, just darts back into the alley, grabs his hover board, and keeps running. Shadow follows. Behind them, he can hear other robots coming to investigate.

Fifteen minutes of keeping-to-the-shadows later, the two teens are finally beginning to walk comfortably. Manic tosses Shadow the strange power source. “I hate to say I told you so, but... that's a lie, I told you so.”

Shadow examines the green tube as they walk. His hands tingle where they touch it, and the sensation spreads up to his elbows like gentle fingers ghosting along his veins. He wants to absorb the sensation and use it up....

He tosses the tube back to Manic. “I don't think this thing's safe to handle.”

The other teen catches it easily and drops it into one of his many pockets. “Why, what's the worst that could happen?”

“Radiation poisoning?” Shadow suggests.

Manic frowns as if that hadn't occurred to him, but then he shrugs. “Eh, too late now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who came here from fanfiction.net may notice a change. In the original version of this fic, this chapter was when the main plot-line began. However, in that version someone had reviewed on a chapter before it saying my fic was clearly just a self insert with no real direction and hormonal drivel pending, and I really took that to heart. In this re-written version I have decided to add a few more chapters of hormonal drivel. Enjoy~  
> (Partly I made this call because I feel a few extra chapters gives us a better opportunity to become familiar with our protagonists and see who they are in their daily lives, and partly I made it so that the relationship feels less rushed after everything goes down.)


	5. Chapter 4 - It's all the same, the bright sky and shining sun

Monday, November 15th, 12:46pm, Station Square Academy

Amy knows that she should be focusing on her school work, she really does, but it's just so _boring_! Her weekend was so _fun_ , and this weekend will be even better! How can anyone expect her to focus on the finer points of grammar when she has such a cute new swimsuit to woo Sonic with?

On Friday, Amy had called Sonic after school and see if he wanted to go on a date the Saturday of Rouge’s party, only to find out that he would actually be attending it. Just because he won't be swimming doesn't mean he doesn't want to listen to music and hang out with his friends, he'd pointed out. Which makes sense, now that she thinks of it. Still, she’d been pretty disappointed to find out that she wouldn't be able to get some one-on-one time with him, until she'd realized what a perfect opportunity for wowing him it would be. They’ll both be there, which means she can wear her cutest swimsuit for him. Even now, the thought puts a smile on her face.

She'd immediately called up her friends and asked if they wanted to go to the mall with her to buy new swimsuits for the party, and they'd all agreed. Saturday was spent shopping: since her previous cutest swimsuit—a red and two-piece with little yellow hearts all over—had failed to catch his eye, she'd gone with something entirely different this time. A red and white two-piece with very high-waisted red bottoms and a modest white top with a big knot in the front. If he didn’t like showy bikinis, then it stood to reason that cute and classy was the way to go. At the mall, Amy and her friends took selfies together and got into shenanigans, and then Sunday was spent scrapbooking their adventures.

Even now, on Tuesday, the only things Amy can focus on are her recent mall trip and the upcoming pool party. This week can't go by fast enough as far as she’s concerned!

Eventually the day ends, and Amy heads to the front of the school to meet her friends. Maybe Sonic will be there today! He'd said that Tuesdays are free….

Sonic isn't there when Amy reaches the front of the school, but neither is anyone else. Since Cream is going to Blaze's house today, Sonia to Rouge's, and Manic is who-knows-where, Amy decides to wait. Maybe Sonic's just running late? He does that sometimes. A lot of times, actually. He's very busy.

At fifteen after Amy determines that he probably isn't coming, mainly because she really should get going if she wants to have a snack before Shadow gets there. Though, perhaps he'll be less strict today? He did agree to stop being a butt, after all, and only butts don't let people have their snacks. Still, best not to chance it until they're actually friends.

Shadow is reading a book on the bench in front of her building when she gets there, and for a moment she just stares, caught off guard by his hair. The red streaks, normally so subdued in her condo, practically gleam in direct sunlight; they're so vibrant they don't even seem real. He glances up and a flicker of surprise crosses his features. Amy hastens to say something, hoping her staring can be misconstrued as trying to recognize him. As if she'd ever forget such striking features.

“Shadow? What are you doing here?”

He raises an eyebrow. She's really starting to hate that expression. “It's Tuesday,” he points out.

“Well yeah, but you're early.”

He shrugs. “What am I supposed to do? Go home for fifteen minutes and _then_ head over?”

She... hadn't actually considered that. “So, what, you just wait out here until three?” He shrugs, expression neutral, and returns his attention to his book. “Oh, well... do you want to come up now?”

He blinks at her for a moment before checking his phone. “It's only two forty-three,” he points out.

“Yeah, but there's air conditioning inside and dad bought gelato. That gives us plenty of time for a pre-study snack.”

The slightest furrowing of his brow indicates consideration, and she reminds herself to give him a moment to think. “What flavour?”

“We have salted caramel and red velvet.”

If Amy weren't watching his face so intently she might have missed the way Shadow's pupils dilate ever so slightly at the words 'red velvet'. She's not entirely sure she didn't imagine it, to be honest. He frowns for a moment as if debating something before finally putting his book in his bag and getting up. “I suppose it makes more sense to wait in your condo, if you are not opposed to my company.”

She gives him a funny look. “Why would I offer if I were,” she asks as they make their way into her building. He snorts, but otherwise ignores her question. Probably for the best, it was rhetorical anyways.

Amy doesn't bother asking before getting Shadow a bowl of red velvet gelato and herself the salted caramel, hoping she'd read him correctly. If not, she could always hand him the other and play it off as a joke. He's unable to mask the flicker of surprise that crosses his features when she hands him the bowl, and she's unable to mask her triumphant smile. “That's the one you wanted, right?” she asks as sweetly as she can manage.

“Yes,” he answers slowly, a frown overtaking his features. “How did you know?”

She knows it's wrong, but seeing him off balance, even if it's only the tiniest bit, makes her want to tease him. Just a little, mind you. “You were very obvious,” she says with a shrug while taking a bite of the salted caramel. He doesn't say anything else as they eat, but his brow doesn't unfurrow until the dishes are in the sink and they've taken their usual places at the table. Apparently the idea of anyone being able to read him is more than a little unsettling, which is... interesting. Knowing that he can be unsettled makes him less intimidating. He still is, but more in the way that Rouge is and less in the untouchable way that celebrities are.

After they eat, the first thirty minutes are spent just going over what Shadow taught Amy last week and then, true to his word, they take a five minute break.

“So have you just been waiting out there before each study session?” Amy asks as she brings them each a glass of water.

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“Not at all, it's just surprising. I didn't see you last week.”

Shadow shrugs. “To be fair, I doubt you were keeping an eye out for me.”

“I guess. Still, you should walk home with me on Thursday.”

For a moment it looks like he's going to protest, but he must realize that there's no polite or logical way to do so given the circumstances, because he eventually says “I suppose I could do that.”

She grins. “Awesome, meet us by the main entrance after school.”

“Us?” Shadow repeats, a sharp edge creeping into his voice.

“Oh, yeah. I usually walk home with my neighbour Cream, along with Son-” she cuts herself off, remembering her promise. “...ia. Sonia. And some other people, if they don't have other plans.”

The corner of Shadow's mouth quirks up into something dangerously close to a smile. “Nice save.”

She ducks her head for a moment, before peeking up at him through her eyelashes and giving him a tentative smile. He blinks at her for a moment before turning his attention to the window with a bored expression, and Amy wonders if maybe it's all just an act. Maybe, secretly, he's just shy around new people. She decides to let him off the hook this time and spends the rest of her study break playing a dress-up app she's mildly addicted to. You don't befriend people by blowing past all their boundaries in one sitting, after all.

They study for another thirty minutes and then take another break. Amy tries to crack her back but can't quite manage it. She gives up after a minute and turns to Shadow. “So, how did you spend the weekend?”

“I worked on a personal project.”

She waits for him to elaborate, but he doesn't so she moves on. “That sounds fun.” Is it rude to tell him about her own weekend unprompted? It seems rude. Then again, if she doesn't, what should she say instead? “My friend Rouge is throwing a pool party on Saturday, so I bought a new swimsuit,” she tries. He glances up at that.

“Any idea how many people are going?”

“Ah, not really? A lot, probably. She's friends with, like, half the school. I mean she's really hot and funny, so it makes sense. But, uh, I know Blaze and Cream are going, and Sonia and Sonic. Not sure if Manic's going, though. But, um, probably a couple dozen others too?”

Shadow nods, though something in his expression seems... troubled? “That's not surprising, Rouge knows everyone.”

“Are you going?”

He grimaces. “Unfortunately.”

Amy frowns. “What do you mean?”

He gives her a funny look. “I am aware that we don't know each other very well, but I feel like it shouldn't come as a surprise to you that I am not enthused about large social gatherings.”

“But, why go if you don't want to?”

“I told Rouge I would.”

“But... why?”

He leans back and runs his hand over his face. When he speaks the sharp edge in his voice is back with a vengeance. “Because she asked me, and I'd rather not get into this right now.”

“Okay, sorry. I guess you'll get to see my new swimsuit, though.”

“I can't wait. Can we study some more?”

Amy frowns, knowing it hasn't been five minutes yet. Still... “Okay. But, Shadow?” He cracks an eye open to look at her. “If Rouge cares enough to be upset about your absence, then I'm sure she also cares enough to understand it. So if you really don't want to go, I'm sure it would be okay.”

He sneers and opens his mouth to make a no doubt scathing remark, but catches himself. “I know,” he says instead, and Amy's happy to see him attempting to keep his end of the deal.

“Nice save,” Amy teases, and the look she gets is somewhere between murderous and amused. She takes that as a win. “So, you were telling me about the naming conversions of the ancient Mobians?”

“Naming conventions,” Shadow corrects. “About three thousand years ago, Mobians believed that each family had a nature spirit guarding them, and noble families would take that spirit as their family name. Many of those bloodlines are still around today, which is where last names like Hedgehog, Fox, and even Rose come from.”

Amy listens as Shadow goes over what she should have learned in class, and something about the timbre of his voice makes it much easier to focus on what he's saying. His voice doesn't drone like her teacher's does, and he never stumbles over his words. That coupled with the breaks makes focusing so much easier, and when Shadow leaves Amy feels like she actually managed to absorb something this time. She tells her dad as much over dinner, and he rewards her by promising to take her to her favourite restaurant tomorrow.

Wednesday, November 17th, 12:36pm, Station Square Academy

Wednesday passes by agonizingly slowly, and Shadow finds himself struggling to focus on anything. Normally, he'd think about whatever project he's currently working on, but he's done as much as he can with the skates at present, and he doesn't really have any other ongoing projects.

After parting ways with Manic on Saturday, Shadow had spent the rest of his weekend tinkering on the hover skates and trying not to think about the power supply they'd found. He couldn't get the feeling of it out of his skin and veins—still can't, really—and working on his skates didn’t help. Every time something misfired, Shadow's mind had run to the easy solution he'd let Manic keep. Granted, Manic had been the one to obtain it, but still. He’d resisted the urge to text Manic and ask for it; the almost compulsive desire to handle it again being proof enough that it wasn’t safe.

Instead, he’d continued to make minor adjustments to the wiring and streamline the physical design as much as he could with his existing resources. Eventually he determined that without better parts he'd have to settle for faulty wiring and rockets that do not enjoy being run for more than fifteen minutes at a time. After that, he'd decided to set up an actual lesson plan for tutoring Amy; the capacity to learn was there, she just lacked focus. Not that Shadow could say much right now, seeing as he hasn't been hearing anything his teachers have been saying all day. The difference, though, is that Shadow already knows everything that's being taught. The odds of him missing anything actually important are very low.

Shadow perks up when it comes time for PE; a run is just what he needs. His good mood dampens when he finds himself running through the forest with Sonic, again, but a run is a run. True to form, Sonic takes advantage of Shadow's inability to leave and starts up a conversation.

“Have you given any further thought to joining the track team, Shads?”

Shadow frowns at the nickname, but decides not to waste his breath protesting it. “It's Tuesdays at lunch and Thursdays after school, right?”

Sonic grins and nods. “Glad to see you've done your research.”

Satisfaction flares in Shadow at knowing that he's about to disappoint his rival. “I can't, then.”

“What? Why not?” Sonic seems genuinely disappointed, but he'll just have to deal with it. For a brief moment he feels a sense of gratitude to Amy and her terrible history grades.

“I tutor your girlfriend after school on Thursdays.”

Sonic gives him an incredibly perplexed look. “My girlfriend? I don't have a- Oh. Right. My girlfriend. Amy. That girlfriend. Yes. Right.”

“I didn't think having a girlfriend was something so easily forgotten.”

“I try not to think about it,” Sonic admits, which is more than a little surprising given how Amy goes on about him. Then again....

“You don't like her, do you.” It's stated as fact; a question with so sure an answer that it no longer needs asking.

“Of course I like her,” Sonic protests. “I grew up with Amy, she's as much a part of my family as Sonia and Manic are.”

“So, your feelings for her are platonic then?”

He hesitates a moment before answering softly. “She's family.”

Shadow nods. “Look, it doesn't matter to me what you do with your life, but dating someone as fond of you as Amelia seems cruel.”

“You think I don't know that?” Sonic asks, frustration clear in his voice. “Of course I do! But I can't just break her heart, ya dig?” If he were inclined to give Sonic advice he'd point out that leading Amelia on will eventually break her heart far more than being honest with her would, but it really isn't any of his concern.

“Like I said, it doesn't matter to me. I honestly couldn't care less; your life, your girlfriend, your problem. As long as it doesn't become _my_ problem, I won't interfere.” With that Shadow picks up his pace, hoping that Sonic will realize that he's serious and that this is all so _trivial_ to him. Sure, on some level it bothers him that Sonic is leading Amelia on, but only because of the needlessness of it, and not enough to do more than he already has.

Thankfully, Sonic doesn't seem inclined to pursue further conversation today, and they complete their run in silence. He doesn't even say anything when he tosses Shadow his spare water bottle, which is new. Shadow makes a mental note to bring up the Amy situation again the next time he wants Sonic to leave him alone.

After getting cleaned up and attending homeroom, Shadow heads home and spends his evening doing homework, double checking tomorrow's lesson plan, and reading. Perhaps taking a couple days to just relax will give him the new perspective needed to make actual progress again.

Thursday passes a little more smoothly than Wednesday; the decision to relax making Shadow less antsy about not making progress. Before he knows it, he finds himself heading to the front of the school where he sees Manic, Sonia, and a dainty little girl that must, by process of elimination, be Cream. Shadow approaches the three of them, earning a startled look from Manic.

“I knew it,” the green haired youth greets after a moment. “You want that power supply, don't cha?”

Shadow snorts. “I'd rather not get radiation poisoning, actually.”

Manic frowns. “Then, why are you here? Do you actually want to hang out again?”

“Amelia wants me to walk home with her,” Shadow says, bypassing the question. Hanging out with Manic outside school hours had certainly been exciting, but Shadow isn't entirely sure if it's an experience he should repeat.

Sonia and Cream seem unsurprised by this news, so they must have gotten prior warning. Manic, on the other hand, looks baffled. “Why?”

Sonia speaks up first, and Shadow's happy to let her answer. “He's her tutor, so he’s going to be joining us on Tuesdays and Thursdays from now on.”

Manic considers this for a moment before grinning. “Cool.”

Amy shows up a few minutes later, running and a bit breathless. “Sorry I'm late,” she puffs out. “Mr. Bailey wanted to know how the tutoring is going.”

Shadow raises an eyebrow. “And what did you tell him?” he wonders, causing her to giggle.

“That you're a rude jerk that's never heard of fun,” she teases with a wink.

He stares for a moment, unsure how to feel about her being so publicly friendly with him. “I am not rude,” he finds himself saying, earning further laughter.

“Just a jerk that's never heard of fun, then?”

“Precisely.”

“I see, I see,” she laughs, flapping her hand at him while trying to regain her composure. Once she's mostly stopped giggling, she shoots him one of her ultra-bright smiles. “So have you met everybody yet?”

“I eat lunch with Manic most days, and am in the same literature class as Sonia.”

“Oh, that's really cool! Well,” she gestures at the dainty girl. “This is my neighbour, Cream. Cream, this is Shadow.”

Cream gives Shadow a small curtsy. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Shadow.”

His mother's training kicks in. “You as well, Miss Cream” he replies with a slight nod in her direction.

Walking with a group of people is strange. The topic roams all over the place and people jump in and out at various points. Sometimes, the conversation splits into two separate ones, only to merge back after a minute- and this is only with four active participants! The pool party is looking less and less thrilling every moment. Still, he'd told Rouge he'd be there. Come to think of it, he'd told Amy as well.

Once Sonia and Manic leave, Shadow finds it much harder to keep out of the conversation.

Cream smiles up at him. “Thank you for taking the time to help Amy with history, Mr. Shadow.”

Shadow doesn't really want to add to the list of people who might approach him at school, but he can’t bring himself to be rude to such a polite young lady. “You're welcome.”

“How long do you think you'll be tutoring her for?” Cream asks, earning an indignant squawk.

“Don't talk about me like I'm not here!” Amy protests.

Cream turns beet red. “I'm sorry,” she squeaks, “I was just curious!”

“As long as it takes for her to get an A,” Shadow answers, ignoring Amy's outburst, causing her to turn her glare on him. He raises an eyebrow at her and she flushes, seeming to struggle to find words.

“You are such a jerk,” she informs him, and the corners of his mouth twitch in amusement.

“I thought we established that already.”

She makes an aggravated noise but returns his smile.

“Oh, I wouldn't say he's a jerk. It's really nice of him to spend his free time helping someone with their studies,” Cream points out.

It's Shadow's turn to glower at the tiny girl. “You say that as if I'm doing it by choice.”

Cream cocks her head to the side. “Aren’t you? If you really didn't want to tutor Amy, couldn't you work with someone else?” Shadow frowns, but Cream continues, “Plus, you said ‘as long as it takes to get Amy an A’, not ‘as long as it takes to get out of this’. That implies that if she doesn't have an A by the summer, you'll continue helping her next year.”

“I- I suppose it does,” Shadow concedes, unable to fault her logic. Sure, he could go back and amend his statement but somewhere inside he realizes he'd already accepted the same conclusion that Cream had come to. “Just don't mistake it for kindness. Once I say I'll do something, I'm dedicated to seeing it through, and it would reflect poorly on me if my pupil never got satisfactory results.”

Amy laughs, “And the only satisfactory result is an A grade?” She looks a touch bewildered by the prospect. “Honestly, I was just expecting to get, like, I dunno, a C+ or something. Maybe a B. I don't see myself ever reaching an A.”

“Why not? You catch on quickly when things are explained the right way, so you certainly have the capacity. Don't settle for mediocrity when you're capable of excellence.”

If anything, Amy just looks more bewildered. “Was... was that a compliment?” she finally asks, and Shadow gives her a funny look.

“It was a statement of fact. No more, no less,” he replies as the tips of his ears heat up. Her ability to leap to conclusions with minimal information would be impressive in an academic setting—when she's right, at least—but when she does it during regular conversation, it's just disorienting.

She grins at him, then turns to Cream. “Perhaps he's not a jerk after all,” she says with a giggle. Shadow rolls his eyes.

“I thought we weren't talking about people as if they aren't present,” he points out, and Amy cackles.

“Don't be a hypocrite, Shads; if you and Cream get to do it then so do I.” He's not sure which he likes less, her giving him the same nickname that Sonic had, or the false-sweetness in her tone.

“Shadow,” he corrects.

“Amy,” she retorts, and he blinks at her. “If you get to give me a cutesy nickname, then I get to give you one.”

“I wouldn't call the use of someone's proper name a cutesy nickname, but if you insist.”

Amy blinks at him, “Wait, really?”

Shadow nods, keeping his expression carefully neutral. “Of course, Miss Rose.”

She groans. “I think I preferred Amelia.”.

Cream laughs at both of them. “It's a wonder you two get any studying done at all, if this is how you behave,” she teases.

Shadow flushes, realizing that he _has_ let things get friendlier than he intended. He can't help it, though; Amelia is very easy to tease, always responding with just the right amount of indignation while never actually getting upset or making an issue out of his words.

“Oh, Shadow's very good at being all serious and junk. When we're studying, I'm not allowed to so much as fidget if he doesn't think it'll be conducive to learning.”

Shadow gives her a look. “Just because you're bad at staying on task doesn't mean the rest of us have to be.”

Amy laughs and loops her arm through his. “Well no, but that's what I have you for,” she teases, gently bumping her hip into his.

He raises a stern eyebrow at her. She flashes him a smile but, thankfully, does not persist in hanging off of him the way she does with Sonic. Instead, she releases his arm and moves over to loop her other arm through Cream's.

“So, what're your plans for the day, Cream?” she asks, and they launch into a discussion about Cream's homework and chores that lasts until they part ways at Cream's door.

“See you later, Amy. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Shadow.”

“You as well,” he replies as Amy says “Bye for now.”

Inside the condo Amy offers Shadow a plate of raspberry scones, and it would be rude to refuse. “Have as many as you like,” she says as he finishes one off. “I ate way too many this morning, and mama can always make more.”

“I'd rather not gorge myself while we study,” Shadow replies as he begins pulling his books out. The scones are tasty enough to make coming up to the condo early well worth his time, but there's such a thing as overindulgence.

“Then take some home,” Amy suggests, popping up to fetch him a bag. She packs up half the plate, and he gives her a guarded look. She seems to read his mind at times, and he still isn't entirely sure what to make of it, but instead of dwelling on it, he changes the topic.

“We could start studying now,” he suggests, “then we can finish early and you'll have more time to....” It occurs to him that he has no idea what Amy actually _does_ in her spare time.

“To...?” she prompts, looking entirely too amused for Shadow's liking.

He makes a flippant gesture with his hand. “Moon after Sonic.” It wasn't supposed to make her laugh, but he's pleased when it does.

“Oh, come on!” she protests. “I'm not _that_ bad.” He raises an eyebrow, and she gives him a wry smile. “Well, perhaps some days,” she concedes, and in the face of her candour a small hiccup of laughter escapes him. Amy shoots over a sharp look. “Did you just laugh?” she asks, and a wave of heat rushes through his entire body.

“Don't be ridiculous,” he protests. “I've never even heard of fun, remember? Why would I be laughing?”

She flashes him another grin, and a part of him is tempted to return it, just to see what she'd do. “Good point.”

He nods, before pushing one of his books in her direction. “Now then, since I'm sure you have a busy evening of mooning ahead of you, let's begin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm a total dweeb and made sims of the characters as I see them in my fic, and a friend suggested I compile some screenshots of them and make an imgur album with height write-ups for anyone who wants a better visual, and while I'm not sure if anyone cares I've done that just in case.  
> https://imgur.com/a/KFve0mO if anyone's curious.


	6. Chapter 5 - All your troubles, are they all what they seem?

Saturday, November 20th, Noon, Amy's Bedroom

Amy stares at herself in the mirror. Her swimsuit had looked so cute at the mall, but now that it's party time, she's not so sure. Maybe she should have gotten the one with the skirt after all, since it would hide the tops of her thighs. She pinches her thigh fat and frowns.

“Princess?” Her dad's voice floats in from her closet door, and she can't stop her lip from wobbling as he comes into view. “What's wrong, honey?”

She doesn't want to cry, but something about her father's concern makes her feel like a child again. Tears flood down her cheeks. “I'm _fat!”_

He holds his arms out and she rushes over, burying her face in his chest. “Who's been filling my baby girl's head with such terrible lies?”

“It's not a lie,” she sobs, “everyone can see it!”

“Honey,” he consoles, “I don't know how to tell you this, but it's all in your head.” She sniffles. “You are pretty as a peach.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

She hesitates. “But, you're my dad! You _have_ to tell me I'm pretty!”

“I do?” He sounds surprised. “No, I don't remember signing anything like that. Feed you, clothe you, give you a roof over your head, sure, but tell you you're pretty? That's not something I _have_ to do.”

That earns a small smile. “ _Dad_ ,” she protests with a giggle, “I'm _serious_.”

“Me too, princess. You're not fat.”

“I am, though.”

There's a pause before he switches tactics. “Okay, perhaps you are a little on the bigger side,” he concedes, “but I thought you kids were into that these days? What do the kids call it now? Being thick?”

She's not sure whether to laugh or to cry as she pulls away. “Yeah, being ‘thicc’ is good, but I'm not thicc.”

“What? Why not?”

“Because, I'm just fat.”

He frowns. “I don't follow.”

“Thicc is like... sexy. It's girls with big butts and stuff. I'm not sexy.”

He considers for a moment. “I don't think I can comment, baby girl. But, you’re dating Sonny, right? He's pretty popular, so _he_ must think you're something special.”

Amy laughs. “ _Dad_ , he goes by Sonic now, remember? Honestly! No one has called him Sonny in, like, six years!” Still, he has a point. Sonic _is_ super hot, and popular, and is just about the coolest guy ever, and he's dating Amy! She can't stop herself from smiling at the thought.

“I've known him since he was in diapers, I'll call him whatever I like.”

“ _Dad!_ ”

He laughs, raising his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, Sonic it is. Now, I'll let you finish getting ready for your party. Don't forget, we told Cream we'd be leaving in about thirty minutes."

“Alright,” she replies absentmindedly before pulling a white crop top and a pink strappy dress over her swimsuit and considering her figure once more in the mirror.

Everything about Rouge's house screams opulence. Even the back yard is massive; with more than enough room for the fifty-some guests to hang out. The pool is spacious, surrounded by a double row of columns and topped with a glass roof. The water is invitingly clear, and a delightful array of floaties bob on its surface, just waiting to be played on. A quick glance around reveals a few larger floaties resting against walls, and a giant swan floaty that's being used as extra seating next to the dance floor.

The fact that there even is a dance floor -complete with DJ!- is incredible, and after a quick internal debate, Amy decides to head there first. It doesn't hold her attention for long, though. There are people to talk to, splash fights to engage in, and snacks to munch on. Amy hardly contains herself, happily flitting between activities and conversations whenever the whim takes her.

She's in the middle of eating a burger when she hears the sound of something scrabbling against rocks, along with some very familiar muffled cursing. She glances behind her to see a stone wall, but that's not surprising. Also not surprising are the slender fingers gripping the top of it with their chipped black nail polish. She glances around. Everyone seems to be distracted or busy, so she surreptitiously stands up on the bench, giving her just enough height to see over the wall. Sure enough, Manic is attempting to climb it. He's so focused on where he's putting his feet that he doesn't notice her, and she can't stop herself from taking advantage of the situation.

She lets out a sharp _boo_ and grabs his wrists, causing him to yelp in surprise and slip. He falls to the ground with a loud thud and she hastily pulls herself partially onto the wall so she has a better view of him.

“Ohmigosh, Manic! Are you okay? I'm so sorry!”

He glowers up at her for a moment before his face melts into its usual carefree expression. “No worries, brah. Could you give me a hand?”

She laughs. “Why don't you just come in the front door?”

He gives her an impish grin. “This way's more fun.”

She laughs again; that is such a Manic answer. “Yeah, okay.”

Another glance around—if anyone's noticed her they don't seem to care—then she holds a hand out for him, using the other to brace herself. He grabs the proffered hand in both of his, and she gives a sharp heave. Coupled with him using his feet to kick off, it's enough to get his arms over the wall, which is more than enough for him to scramble the rest of the way over. He lands on his feet next to the bench, then grins up at her.

“Thanks boo,” he says as he helps her off the bench.

“No problem,” she laughs. “So, what now?”

He shrugs, grabbing the burger off her plate and taking a bite.

“ _Manic_ ,” she squeals, not sure if she's more upset by him stealing her food or by him actually eating someone else's partial burger.

“What?” he asks around a mouthful of food.

“That was mine!”

“So?”

“So, I was eating it.”

He has the decency to look abashed, at least. “Right, sorry. Where can I get my own?” he asks, putting the burger back.

She stares at him. “I don't want it _now_ ,” she says, astounded by how oblivious Manic can sometimes be to what is and isn't acceptable behaviour.

He frowns. “Why not?”

Seriously? Does she have to spell it out to him? “Because it has your germs,” she explains. “It's practically the same as kissing you.”

He has the nerve to laugh at that. “It really isn't.”

“Yes, it is!”

He shakes his head. “No, kissing _Sonic_ is practically the same as kissing me. Eating a burger I took a bite out of, though? Completely different.”

She gives him a funny look. “How in the world is kissing Sonic the same as kissing you?”

“Um duh? We're genetically the same? We have basically the same mouth and basically the same germs. So, really, if you kissed Sonic, then by your logic you’d have kissed me too.”

“Not at all!”

Manic shrugs, grabbing the burger again. “I'm just applying your logic to the situation,” he says before taking another bite.

She opens her mouth to tell him why he's wrong, but stops when she notices the gleam in his eye. “You're being deliberately frustrating!” she accuses, earning a soft chuckle.

“Guilty,” he admits.

She wants to chastise him, but he looks so self-satisfied that she has no idea what to even say. She settles for giving him a playful shove. He staggers for a moment and it occurs to Amy that Manic is much skinnier than his brother, and perhaps she pushed him a bit harder than intended.

“Did you just shove me?” he asks in a mock-indignant tone.

“I would never,” she assures him, giving him her most innocent expression. He responds with a stern look and a huff of laughter before he shoves her shoulder back. She obviously can't let him get away with that. She shoves him again, causing him to stumble and drop his burger. For a moment, they both stare at the fallen food.

“I am so sorry,” she tells him at the same time that he says, “Oh hell no.”

He lunges, she dives, and very shortly the two of them are wrestling on the ground like they're in elementary school all over again. At first, it's entirely harmless, but Amy has always been too competitive for her own good, and Manic has a tendency to take things too far. That, coupled with the hard ground beneath them and the fact that Amy's still in her swimsuit, means it isn't long before she lets out a pained yelp.

Manic immediately lets up, and she holds out her skinned elbow. “Aw shit, sorry Ames. Do you know where the first aid kit is?” She shakes her head and he glances around. “Well, let’s get you cleaned up first, and then we can figure out what to do after.” She nods and he guides her back to the table, where he grabs some bottled water and a napkin, and proceeds to work on getting the dirt out.

“What happened?” Shadow asks, emerging from the crowd with Rouge.

“Also,” Rouge adds in, giving Manic a funny look. “I don't remember inviting you.”

“You didn't,” Manic replies with a laugh, “but Sonic isn't answering his phone, and mum wanted to talk to him.”

“So, what, you figured you'd get dolled up and drop by?” Rouge asks, and she has a point. Manic's wearing his favourite leather jacket, the one he spent an entire summer modifying with studs and patches and fabric paint, an incredibly tight pair of pinstripe pants with zippers all over, knee-high lace up boots, a ring on each finger, and a touch of eye makeup. He winks, opening his mouth to reply, but Shadow cuts in.

“Can this wait? I believe we came over to see what happened to Miss Rose, not to argue motives with party crashers.”

Manic flushes. “Dude, you don't gotta be a dick about it.”

Shadow raises an eyebrow. “Your friend is bleeding.”

Manic's flush deepens. “Right, sorry. We were fighting over a burger and she scraped her elbow.”

Shadow and Rouge each raise an eyebrow in unison, turning to Amy as if to say 'really?'

“I didn't want his germs all over my food,” Amy huffs. Rouge snorts, but at least Shadow nods.

“Can I see?” He gestures to her elbow. She holds out her arm and Shadow very gently uses his fingers to turn it this way and that. She squirms at the way his feather-light touch tickles, and he murmurs a soft 'sorry'.

“How's it look?” Amy asks, more to fill the silence than anything else.

“Seems fine,” Shadow says, “but you should probably put a bandage on it, I don't imagine you want chlorine in it.”

Amy snorts, “Probably not.”

“Alright, I'll take her inside. Shadow, can you help Manic find his brother?”

Shadow frowns. “I'd really rather not.”

“Damn dude, harsh. Is my company really that bad?” If Amy hadn't known Manic for her entire life, she probably wouldn't have noticed the hurt undertone in his otherwise joking voice.

Shadow raises an eyebrow. “ _You're_ fine. It's your brother I'd rather not interact with.”

“Oh?” Manic asks as Rouge guides Amy away. “Why not?”

“The last time we spoke, we had a disagreement.”

“About what?”

“None of your business.”

Anything else they say is drowned out by the music and the crowd.

Inside, Rouge waves down a passing member of her father's staff and asks him where the first aid kit is. A few short minutes later, the girls rejoin the party. Outside, Amy sees Shadow and Manic talking to Sonic by the pool. Her eyes meet Manic's, then he glances at Rouge, puts his finger to his lips in the universal gesture for secrecy, and disappears into the crowd. Amy isn't concerned with Manic's antics, though. How can she be when Sonic is right there? She takes a deep breath to calm her racing heart.

It's time for wooing.

“Sonic!” she calls at the top of her voice, waving and jogging towards him.

He jumps, saying something she can't quite hear, and stumbles backwards into Shadow, elbowing the reserved teen just hard enough to knock him off balance. He stumbles towards the pool, and Amy breaks into a full run. She extends her arm to Shadow as he falls backwards, and he grabs it. Unfortunately, he's heavier than expected, and her momentum is not a great addition. Instead of heroically saving him from falling into the pool while fully clothed, she falls in with him.

Amy's unable to stop herself from shrieking when she loses her balance, so when she hits the pool’s surface, she has no air. Water rushes up her nose and into her sinuses. It's agony. She wonders if she’ll drown.

Shadow's hand tightens on Amy's, and then she’s being pulled through the water. She breaks the surface and sputters immediately, coughing up the water in her lungs. Shadow pushes her to the edge of the pool where another set of hands grabs and heaves her from the water. Amy collapses on the poolside while Shadow climbs out next to her.

“What the hell, Sonic?” he demands.

“I am so sorry,” Sonic replies, eyes wide. “I didn't mean to knock you in!”

Shadow glowers at him. “Obviously. But that doesn't answer my question. So I’ll ask it again. _What the hell, Sonic_?”

He swallows and shuffles uncomfortably. “I don't do well in water,” he explains, his eyes darting to Amy and then quickly away. “I didn't want to get knocked in.”

“I see,” Shadow replies in a dangerously flat voice, also glancing at Amy. “Remember how I said I wouldn't interfere if you didn't make it my problem?”

Sonic swallows and nods.

“It is dangerously close to becoming my problem. Get your shit together.”

Amy blinks up at Shadow, feeling disoriented. He glances down at her, and perhaps it's just her imagination, but his expression softens.

“Are you alright?”

Amy nods. “Yeah, I'm okay.”

“Good.” He starts walking away; she scrambles to her feet.

“Where are you going?”

“To see if I can find a change of clothes,” Shadow replies, gesturing at his sodden sweater, slacks, and shoes. Amy nods again, and he walks off. She turns to Sonic, and is surprised to see a frown on his face.

“What was Shadow talking about?”

“It’s, uh,” he starts, “it’s just, ah, nothing. It’s nothing, never mind him. Are you alright?”

Her throat still feels prickly, and it's unpleasant to breathe through her nose, but it should pass soon enough. “Yeah, I'm alright.”

Sonic's shoulders slump with relief. “I'm really glad to hear that,” he says with a smile, and Amy feels butterflies forming in her stomach all over again. He's just so beautiful, she can't handle it. “How about we find you a towel?” he offers, and she can't stop the smile that overtakes her features.

“Okay.” She loops her arm through his. He grimaces at how wet she is, but is unable to get his arm back.

Saturday, November 20th, 2:23PM, Rouge's Bedroom

Shadow waits in Rouge's room with a scowl. Turns out he'd forgotten his swimsuit the last time he was here, so he's wearing that now. Unfortunately he hadn't also forgotten a top, so he's stuck waiting while Rouge finds him one. While he _could_ go out without a shirt—he's in excellent shape—the idea of being so exposed in front of so many people makes Shadow uncomfortable. He fingers the starburst scar on his chest as he waits. It's been fifteen minutes now, and he's beginning to wonder if Rouge forgot about him.

Eventually, she returns with a black tank top that has two patches of white resembling some sort of draconic, serpentine creature. It's a bit loose, but it will do.

“Where'd you find this?”

Rouge shrugs. “I was asking around and Knuckles offered it. Sonic offered a white tee, but I didn't think you'd want his help.”

Shadow snorts. “No, I want nothing to do with that pathetic child.”

Rouge raises an eyebrow but otherwise ignores him, choosing instead to change the topic. “So, I overheard Amy lamenting the fact that her swimsuit doesn't seem to be wooing Sonic.”

Shadow shrugs. “Of course it isn't, Sonic has no interest in her. What does this have to do with me?”

Rouge grins, and Shadow doesn't like that expression one bit. “Well, I told her there's a much better way to woo a guy.” Shadow raises an eyebrow and waits expectantly. “Spin the bottle. He spins her, she gives him a good one, and he’s wooed.”

Shadow blinks. “You mean that kissing game they play in terrible movies?” he asks, not quite believing what he's hearing. Rouge nods. “Isn't that a little juvenile?”

She laughs at that. “Probably, but it's my birthday and I've never played it before. Now seems as good a time as any.”

“Right. Do you actually think it will help Amelia with her idiot boyfriend, or is this just an excuse to play?”

Rouge waves her hand dismissively. “Does it matter?”

“I guess not. In either case, I'm not playing.”

“Oh come on,” she pouts, “we're not playing until most of the guests leave, but we need two more guys.”

Shadow frowns. “Why?”

“Well we have four girls and two guys already, and I want a nice even mix.”

“That sounds like an excuse to get me to play,” he points out, and she grins at him.

“Come on, please?” she purrs.

“I don't want to kiss anyone here.”

“So I'll give everyone three chickens. I mean, one in eight, that's less than fifteen percent, right? Odds are you won't even need all your outs.”

“Rouge, enough. There is absolutely no way I'm agreeing to this stupid game.”

Several hours later, the party starts to thin out and Shadow finds himself sitting with Rouge and a few of their classmates at the refreshments table, picking at the food as they wait for people to leave.

“We just need one more guy and then we can play,” Rouge says, and Shadow curses himself for letting her blackmail him like this. She's holding the outfit he came in ransom, including his shoes. Abandoning his favourite sweater would suck, but leaving behind his shoes and walking home barefoot? Out of the question.

“What are we playing?” a familiar voice asks, and Shadow is surprised to see Manic emerging from who-knows-where.

“Spin the bottle,” Amy pipes up enthusiastically.

“You're still here?” Rouge asks a hair after Amy's reply.

Manic shrugs. “There's free food.”

She raises an eyebrow at that. “For my friends,” she points out, and he glances at the table they're all at, still very much covered in food.

“Apparently you don't have enough friends. Are you unpopular or something?”

Shadow watches Rouge's eyes widen at Manic's words, and for a moment he wonders if she's mad. Then she laughs.

“Alright, you can play,” she decides.

Manic blinks. “Wait, really?”

Rouge takes on a sultry expression. “What's the matter, performance anxiety?” she all but purrs, earning an awkward laugh from Manic.

“I just didn't think I'd get this far, is all.”

Once it's down to the eight of them, Rouge leads everyone inside to one of the living rooms where they sit on plush carpet while the cleaning staff deals with the aftermath of her party. Shadow sits next to her, and Manic goes to sit on his other side but Amy grabs his sleeve.

“We should sit boy-girl-boy-girl,” she tells him. Manic gives her a funny look.

“Why?” he asks, and Shadow's with him on this one.

“Because that's what it advises on the app we're using,” Amy answers.

All eyes turn to Rouge, who shrugs. “Might as well do what it says,” she says.

They wind up sitting in a loose circle: Rouge and Shadow, then Cream, Sonic, Amy, Manic, Sonia, and finally, a beefy guy with dark skin, red dreads, and purple eyes named Knuckles. Shadow knows him from detention, and he's not sure if the fact that he actually knows everyone involved makes this better or worse.

Rouge grins once everyone is situated around Amy's phone. The app is simple; a little bottle that, when tapped, spins. “Alright, well if everyone's ready-” She's cut off by Shadow clearing his throat. “What?”

“Aren't you forgetting something?” he prompts. She blinks at him, then laughs.

“Right, yes, of course. Rules. Everyone gets three chickens, which you should probably use wisely,” she shoots a meaningful glance between Sonic, Sonia, and Manic. “The chickens are single use. If someone were to use their last chicken on, say, Knuckles and then spin him again, they'd have to kiss him on the second spin. Also, generally the person who does the spinning should initiate the kiss. Oh, and maybe don't kiss for more than thirty seconds; save that for your own time. Any questions?”

“Um,” Cream begins in her tiny voice. “I'm only really playing because Amy is my ride home, but I've never kissed anyone before? Do we, ah, have to kiss people on the lips?” she flushes as she says it.

Rouge considers. “No kissing Cream on the lips if you spin her. If she spins you that can be her call.”

Shadow frowns. “What about me? I've also never kissed anyone, and am not playing by choice.”

Rouge snorts. “ _You_ are seventeen, that's on you. If you don't want to kiss someone you can use a chicken.”

Shadow glowers at her. “Fine.”

“Great, then I'll go first,” she declares with a triumphant grin, leaning forward to tap the little bottle. It spins for a while before slowing down and ultimately landing on Sonic, who laughs when she saunters over.

“Be gentle, it's my first time,” he jokes, earning a laugh from Rouge.

“Well then, with respect to your girlfriend I'll go easy,” she teases. Shadow wonders if anyone else notices the way Sonic's smile falters at that.

“Right, thanks.”

Rouge leans down and gives Sonic the briefest of pecks before returning to her seat. It's Sonic's turn to crawl into the middle and tap the button. Again, a spin that would really be better if it were a bit shorter. As it starts to slow, Shadow sees that it'll either hit Manic or Amy. He glances up to find Amy sitting with baited breath. Everything about her posture screams anticipation. She squeaks, and he glances back to the phone, which has landed very solidly on her.

Someone—Manic—wolf whistles.

“Better make it a good one,” Rouge teases.

Sonic laughs at that, but it sounds strained. Amy doesn't seem to notice, though. He turns to her, and she stares up at him with her big, sparkly eyes. Shadow feels a bit nauseous seeing such rapt adoration directed at someone so clearly undeserving. Sonic is a jackass for leading her on like this.

Sonic holds out a hand, which Amy takes. He pulls her into a standing position, earning another squeak from her. He then wraps an arm around her waist, pulls her close, and dips her, all in one fluid motion. She squeaks yet again, and Shadow can see her cheeks growing pinker than her hair.

Sonic leans in, then presses a very chaste kiss to her cheek before he lowers her back to her seat and retakes his own.

For a moment she just looks bewildered, but Shadow sees the disappointment creep into her eyes. Everyone else is too busy laughing at Sonic’s antics to notice. Such a dramatic build up leading to something so small is apparently hilarious, but Shadow doesn't see the humour in the situation.

Amy sighs then, burying her disappointment behind a bright smile, and joins in the laughter. “I guess that makes it my turn?” She crawls forward and hovers her hand over the phone. Rouge nods, and Amy taps the button. The bottle spins. For a second it looks like it's going to land on Shadow and a part of him wants it to so she can get a real kiss, but thankfully it lands on Rouge instead.

Amy smiles nervously as Rouge beckons her close. They share a peck, and then Amy scurries back to her seat, face flushed. She keeps glancing at Sonic to see what his reaction is, but he doesn't seem to have one.

Rouge leans forward and taps the button, and this time the bottle actually does land on Shadow. Under different circumstances, he may have allowed this. He's known Rouge forever, so she wouldn't be a _bad_ choice for a first kiss, if Shadow were to put value to such things. However, she bullied him into playing, so on principle....

“Pass,” he says, dead-eyeing her. She falters and laughs.

“Shadow, you only get three chickens, and you're using one on me? Be reasonable.”

“I told you I didn’t want to play,” he reminds her.

“Well, yes, but-”

“Pass,” he repeats. She laughs and shrugs.

“If you insist. Your turn.”

He blinks at her. “I beg your pardon?”

She gives him a very innocent smile. “Well you still have to spin,” she tells him. “A chicken isn't a re-spin, it's just a denial of the current spin.”

He gives her a dirty look. “I see. You probably should have said so when explaining the rules.” She hums softly in reply, before gesturing at the phone. He rolls his eyes and complies. He already knows what he's going to say when he taps the bottle. It spins, and the moment it stops he passes.

Manic laughs. “Brah, you don't know what you're missing,” he teases.

Shadow raises an eyebrow. “Pass,” he repeats.

“Dude, don't be such a spoilsport. I have it on good authority that I am a _great_ kisser.”

Shadow snorts and rolls his eyes. “Right.” Manic pouts, but something flashes in his eyes and he crawls forward.

“I'll just have to show you,” he declares, and for a second Shadow wonders if his pass is being ignored. Then Manic taps the bottle and Shadow lets out a breath of relief.

The bottle lands on Sonic, who stiffens. “Yeah, that's a hard pass, you sounded _way_ too serious just now.”

Manic snorts. “Oh come on, Sonic. People _love_ twincest. Let's give them a show.”

“Yeah, no, I'm good, thanks.”

Manic pouts, retaking his seat. “Y'all are boring.”

Sonic spins himself, then re-spins Amy, who seems ecstatic. Until he presses the briefest kiss imaginable to the corner of her mouth.

Rouge laughs when Amy spins her again. “Careful now, I might start to think you rigged this,” she teases, before they share another peck.

Rouge then spins Cream, and leans across Shadow to press a swift kiss to the younger girl's cheek.

Cream spins Sonia, and gives her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Sonia in turn spins Manic, who waggles his eyebrows at her.

“Pass,” she says. He laughs at that before turning to Shadow with a wink.

“Ready to see what you missed?” he taunts as he leans forward to spin the bottle.

It lands on Amy and she has just enough time to give Manic a questioning look before he tackles her. She squeaks, form rigid, but shortly melts into the kiss. Her toes even begin to curl, and Shadow is intrigued despite himself. He's never had much interest in kissing people before, but the idea of making someone react like that isn't unappealing.

After a little more than thirty seconds Manic pulls away. “Made ya blush,” he teases, flicking her nose. She just stammers, no real words coming out, and he turns to Sonic. “Brah, you need to up your game; I just made your girlfriend swoon with a kiss. Maybe we should find her a better boyfriend.”

Sonic gives his brother a look. “Are you volunteering?”

Manic scoffs. “Bro, don't be gross.” At that, everyone stares at him. “What?”

“You just had your tongue in her mouth, and you're calling Sonic gross,” Knuckles points out.

Manic laughs. “Well, yeah. A kiss is just a kiss, but actual dating? Amy's like my sister, it'd be as bad as dating Sonia.”

Rouge snorts, then glances at Amy who’s still dazed and laying on the floor. “Amy, sweetie, it's your turn,” she coaxes.

Amy blinks a few times before sitting up. “Right, right.”

She leans forward, hits the button.

This time the bottle stops almost halfway between Shadow and Rouge. He's about to say something when Rouge stands up.

“Awesome, I will not be shown up by a party crasher,” she declares, before stepping over to Amy and pulling the shorter girl to her feet. The bottle is very much more towards him than Rouge, and a part of him feels cheated that Rouge is taking his place. The feeling confuses him, but he _is_ a fairly competitive person. It makes sense that he'd want to prove himself superior. Except, there's no way his first kiss is going to top what was clearly a very practised move, so perhaps it's best that Rouge is the one to show Manic up.

“Wh-” Amy begins, but is cut off by lips crashing into hers. Rouge's hand snakes into Amy's hair, and Shadow doesn't know if he should avert his gaze or not. Amy whimpers, and he swallows uncomfortably. It's definitely been close to thirty seconds again. Finally, Rouge pulls away.

“So,” she purrs, “which of us was better?”

Amy's cheeks have passed pink and gone straight into red territory. “Um,” she squeaks. “It's, ah, hard to say? I mean. Um,” she looks so flustered that Shadow can't help but step in.

“Let the poor girl have a breather,” he finds himself saying. Amy shoots him a grateful look, but Rouge frowns at him.

“Fine, she'll tell us after.”

Shadow rolls his eyes. “It's your turn,” he points out.

Rouge spins Knuckles, who shoots Sonia a nervous look before letting Rouge kiss him very briefly.

From Knuckles it goes to Amy, then back to Rouge. Rouge spins Sonic, who spins Shadow, and that's a strong pass. Then Shadow spins Cream, and Rouge seems disappointed as Shadow kisses her hand. Cream spins Sonia and Sonia, who spins Rouge, who spins Shadow. He glowers as she tries to kiss him, backing away until he's trapped between her and the couch. Then he holds up his hand between the two of them, and Rouge frowns.

“You're that much against it?” she asks, sounding surprised.

“You blackmailed me into playing,” he points out.

“Well yeah, but-” she cuts herself off when she sees his eyes darken, then laughs. “Whatever, I don't want to kiss such a killjoy anyways. Pass.”

He blinks and feels a large part of his irritation fade away. Rouge has always pushed him more than he'd like, but she always stopped before truly crossing any lines. Sure, she skirts them sometimes, toes them others, leans so far across them that it's a miracle she doesn't fall, but she never actually crosses them. It's one of the reasons he lets her get away with so much. He reaches forward and spins the bottle, not out of a desire to keep playing, but to show that he appreciates her gesture.

It slows, lands on Amy. Shadow swallows, feeling his cheeks grow hot. He has no more chickens, and there's no special rules for Amy. So it looks like his first kiss is going to be-

“Pass.” Shadow blinks, and Amy gives him a soft smile. “You're out of chickens, right?” He nods once. Her eyes are very warm. “Well, I'm not going to make you play. So, all my chickens are reserved for you.”

He swallows, feeling a strange pit forming in his stomach. It's such a small gesture but, ironically, he could kiss her for it.

Then Amy spins Rouge again, much to everyone's surprise. “You just can't get enough of me,” Rouge teases as she waits for her kiss.

The spins start getting further and further apart as everyone devolves into conversation. Rouge spins Cream, and everyone talks for a bit. Cream's still laughing at something Sonia said when she remembers to spin, and the little bottle icon winds up pointing at Knuckles. More chatting and jokes, with increasingly infrequent spins. Knuckles spins Manic, and then declares him a better kisser than Rouge, much to everyone's amusement.

Eventually Amy's phone rings and her dad tells her he's on his way, and that's the end of the party. Everyone gathers their things and says their goodbyes. Rouge gives Shadow his clothes back, and in turn Shadow gives Knuckles his shirt back.

Shadow definitely has no plans to do any of that ever again, but as he lays in bed and drifts to sleep, he's forced to conclude that it wasn't entirely horrible. There were a few fun moments throughout the day, like lounging on a bench and watching Manic throw popcorn at their classmates, and it ended on a decent enough note. He supposes today wasn't a complete waste after all.


	7. Chapter 6 - Welcome to the end is near

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting a day early because I work just the right hours tomorrow that I'd either be posting early morning, or late night.

Tuesday, November 23rd, 7:43am, the corner of Mission St. SW and 5th Ave.

Amy couldn't get a hold of Sonic all of Sunday, and he wasn't at school Monday due to food poisoning. By Tuesday, Amy feels antsy and insecure. Neither her swimsuit nor spin the bottle had wooed him. He might be her boyfriend now, but it doesn’t feel any different from pining after him before they were together.

Actually, no, it does. It feels worse.

A part of her wonders if dating him is a mistake, but she feels terrible thinking that. She loves Sonic! They are meant to be together! She shouldn't have doubts just because he's been busy.

When Amy and Cream meet their friends on the way to school Tuesday morning, Amy is delighted to see Sonic waiting with Sonia and Manic. Her doubts lessen and she rushes over to greet him, throwing her arms around him in a huge embrace.

“Sonic! I'm so happy to see you! Are you okay? I was so worried when I found out you had food poisoning!”

He gently pries her off him, and she lets him because his siblings are present and she doesn't want to be _that_ girlfriend.

“I'm fine, Ames. Ah, sorry for worrying you?”

Amy blanches. “Oh, no, you don't have to be sorry! I'm sorry!”

“Oh my _God_ you two,” Manic complains before Sonic can reply. “Can we just go?”

Colour floods Sonic's cheeks and Amy nods very quickly. “Right, yeah, that's a good idea,” she babbles. She links an arm through Sonic's—he seems tense from Manic’s comment, or maybe he just isn’t feeling totally better yet—and the group heads off.

As soon as they reach the school, Sonic shakes Amy off. “Hate to ditch you guys, but I've got some things to do,” he announces before running off.

“I could go with you!” Amy calls, but he's already gone.

At lunch she watches him run, but the morning's insecurity is creeping back, and for once she doesn't enjoy seeing him in his natural element. She even goes so far as to check her phone, but for whatever reason there's no signal. She resets it twice before giving up and joining in her friend's conversation.

“So,” Rouge begins when she notices that Amy's actually listening. “Who was the better kisser?”

Amy groans and Blaze raises an eyebrow. “Did something happen during spin the bottle?”

Rouge nods. “You really should have stayed, poor Amy became a battle ground.”

Blaze laughs. “Yeah, no, I'm good. I had a very nice evening after I left that _wasn't_ filled with kissing people I have no interest in.”

Rouge lets out a derisive snort. “Well where's the fun in that?” she asks, before turning back to Amy with an expectant look.

Amy swallows. “It's, ah, really hard to say?” she tries, but Rouge continues staring at her so that must be the wrong answer. “I mean, ah, you're both good?” Still wrong. “You have softer lips?”

Rouge grins at that. “Well of course I do. Girls are always softer than guys.”

Amy's not sure that's entirely true, but she doesn't want to keep talking about this. It's so embarrassing! The only person that should have kissed her like that is Sonic, but he’d barely touched her. If Manic's stupid claim that kissing him was basically the same as kissing Sonic then Sonic should have rocked her world!

And yet.

Perhaps he didn't want their first kiss to be in front of the others? Yeah, that makes sense. He's probably just waiting for the perfect moment to share an amazing first kiss as boyfriend and girlfriend! She repeats the thought to herself as she watches Sonic run, and by the end of lunch it doesn't sound like an excuse. Sonic is perfect, and they're in love, and their relationship is perfect. She just needs to stop overthinking everything.

After school, Cream needs to drop off a library book and Sonia is hitting the mall with Rouge. Which means Amy will be walking alone with Shadow and Manic, which is absolutely fine. Sure, Amy hasn't been able to look Manic in the eye since spin the bottle, and Shadow's silent demeanour makes him as good as absent, but still, maybe this will be a good chance to move past that whole awkward experience.

Except when she gets to the front of the school, Amy sees Sonic waiting to walk with them, proving to her that he really is committed to their relationship. She tackles him with a hug and he pats her back before pulling away. She's slowly getting used to his dislike for public displays of affection, so she settles for looping her arm through his. They start walking, but she stops after a few steps.

“Wait, where's Shadow?”

Sonic shrugs. “He left shortly after I arrived. Was he supposed to be joining us?”

Amy nods.

Manic digs his phone out of his pocket. “I'll text him,” he offers as he enters an excessively long password into it.

“Why don't you just use your fingerprint?” Amy asks.

“Um duh? So Sonic can't get into my phone?”

Amy and Sonic both stare at their green-haired companion. “That's, uh. We don't have the same fingerprints, dude,” Sonic points out, and Manic gives him a quizzical look.

“You sure?” he asks. Sonic nods, much to Amy's amusement. For someone who's so smart in some areas, the rambunctious youth can sure be clueless in others. Manic stares at his phone with a frown. “That's weird,” he mutters. Amy and Sonic crowd in to see his screen.

Just like Amy's phone, Manic isn't getting any reception.

“Mine wasn’t working at lunch. Maybe the network's down?”

“Maybe?” Manic replies, but he doesn't sound convinced. After a moment he shrugs. “I'll worry about it later. As for Shadow, he probably went to grab something from his house. He was headed away from the school.” That seems reasonable enough, and if that's the case then it doesn't make sense to wait for him. They head off.

Sonic and Manic start talking about whatever it is Sonic's been doing with his friend Tails lately, but a lot of it flies over her head. Actually, a lot of it seems to fly over Sonic's head too, because all of his answers amount to “I don't know, you'd have to ask Tails.”

Still, it's nice to actually walk home with her boyfriend. Even if he does keep pulling his arm away from her. He likes to talk with his hands, so it's probably an unconscious action. It's very frustrating, though.

When they part ways, she tries to gesture for Manic to give her and Sonic a moment of alone time, but he doesn't seem to get it—or maybe he's being frustrating on purpose—so she settles for giving Sonic another big hug, and then she finishes the walk alone. Again, doubt creeps in. Dating Sonic should have gotten rid of all her insecurities, but here they are getting worse, officially making Amy the worst girlfriend in the history of ever.

The sight of Shadow waiting on the bench outside her building again, reading his book, snaps her out of her thoughts.

“Hey, where were you?” she asks as she reaches him, and he slips his book into his bag as he stands up.

“Waiting,” he replies, and she frowns at him before leading the way into her building.

“Why didn't you wait at the school?”

He hesitates for a moment. “I am trying very hard not to say unflattering things about your boyfriend, since I suspect that falls into the category of 'being a butt'. Please do not make this more difficult for me.”

They get into the elevator and Amy stares at Shadow for a moment. “You really don't like him,” she says, realizing that maybe this is more than just a simple disagreement like he'd claimed at the party. The words 'get your shit together' echo in the back of her mind. “Why not?”

Shadow gives her a look. “ _That_ falls into the category of talking about him,” he points out.

Amy laughs. “Right, sorry. I'm just curious because-” she stops herself from going on a tangent about Sonic's virtues. “-because you're my friend,” she finishes instead.

Shadow frowns at that, but whatever he's going to say is cut off by an older lady getting into the elevator with them.

Once inside Amy's condo, she gets them each a bowl of gelato and then busies herself setting up a small fruit plate for while they work. There's not much conversation while they eat, and once they're done Amy is the one to suggest they start their study session. Shadow gives her a funny look, but complies. Amy is happy for the distraction. She must be coming down with something, because her thoughts keep returning to self-doubt and insecurity. She tries to focus on Shadow's voice, and on history, and on the mythology of the seven chaos emeralds. She really does. But...

“Amelia,” Shadow's tone is sharp as a knife, cutting into her thoughts and demanding her attention.

“I'm sorry,” she squeaks, and he rubs the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

“What's wrong?” he asks, ignoring her apology.

She opens her mouth to reply, then closes it. “It's stupid,” she tells him, and he snorts.

“If it's stupid then why is it bothering you?” She shrugs. She doesn't have an answer for that. “Amelia, whatever it is, it's affecting your ability to concentrate. What's wrong?”

She hesitates. “I can’t talk about it or you’ll go back to being a butt.”

Shadow’s mouth lifts into the barest of smiles. “An exception then, so we can get back to studying with full attention?”

Amy chews on her bottom lip. “It's just,” again she hesitates, because there's no way he'll understand. He's attractive, and smart, and is probably dating Rouge or something. Still, maybe it'll feel better if she talks to somebody. “I was so excited for that pool party, you know? I was gonna look super cute, and have lots of fun, and get to hang out with Sonic. But I guess I didn't look cute at all, and I mean, I did have fun, but....”

“You didn't get to hang out with Sonic as much as you'd like,” Shadow surmises, and Amy can't meet his eyes. She nods.

“We've barely spoken since the party,” she whispers, eyes starting to water. “We've been dating for weeks, and we haven't even hung out once.”

“Sonic is an idiot,” Shadow points out, and Amy snorts.

“You're just saying that because you don't like him.”

He shrugs. “I don't like him because he's an idiot.”

There's a few moments of surprisingly comfortable silence before Amy asks the question that's really bugging her. “I just… why wouldn't he kiss me?”

“Because he's an idiot,” Shadow repeats.

“Shadow,” Amy protests, “I'm serious.”

“I am too,” he replies, expression carefully neutral, but there is a betrayal of colour in his cheeks. “Your swimsuit was very flattering; a good boyfriend would have been all over you.”

Amy flushes at that, because whatever Shadow might say to the contrary, that was definitely a compliment. Even though his words don't help her understand why Sonic wasn't interested at the party, it's nice to know that at least someone thought she looked cute in her new swimsuit- even if that someone is as grumpy and hard to understand as Shadow. Still....

“Sonic _is_ a good boyfriend. A _great_ boyfriend, really.”

Something dark crosses Shadow's features. He opens his mouth only for the words to die. He tenses up instead, then shouts “Get down!”

Outside the window the world turns white, and Amy feels her skin burn. She can't see anything, but she hears it: An impossibly loud noise like nothing she's ever heard before. “Amy!” Shadow shouts, but she just sits, wide-eyed and incapable of movement. Time is immobile, it's just her and the light and the noise, frozen forever.

Something grabs her ankle, yanking her off the chair and under the table. Time resumes. Her face is pulled tight against a very warm and very solid chest as she’s cradled like something precious. The glass wall of the dining room shatters inwards, letting in a second wave of heat, spraying jagged shards everywhere. She feels a few of them bite into her arm, but for the most part she's covered. The building shakes, or maybe it's Amy that shakes. She can't tell.

They stay like that for a short eternity, under the table with Shadow hunched over, Amy pinned to his chest with one arm while the other shields his face. The world is just starting to fade back into view when he lets her go and crawls out from under the table, turning back to help Amy once he's out.

“You saved me,” she murmurs, heart racing. For a moment they just stare at each other, but there's something nagging the back of her mind. “Cream!” she shouts as it occurs to her that library trips never take the dainty girl long to complete, and without thinking she grabs Shadow's wrist and sprints out of her unit and into the neighbouring one.

“Cream?” she calls once inside.

“Amy?” Cream's tiny voice calls back from the living room. There's another voice, too. An unshaken man's voice that she can't make out from the doorway. She heads to the living room, where Cream is sitting on the floor in front of a window, surrounded by broken glass and staring wide-eyed at the door Amy just entered through. She's bleeding from where the glass hit her, and her skin is definitely burnt with blisters already forming. Against one of the walls is a relatively unharmed TV, and that's the source of the man's voice.

An overweight, bald man with tiny goggles and a very bushy moustache is on the TV, explaining that he is Dr. Ivo Robotnik, owner of Eggman Industries, and that the explosion he just caused is but a small fraction of what he's capable of. Already, he's knocked out cell phone signals and WiFi around the entire city, and if his demands aren't met in the next five hours he will knock out the power as well.

Amy asks Cream if she's alright as Dr. Robotnik explains that all the bridges leading from the city to the mainland have been collapsed by his robots. The city is inaccessible, and any aircrafts that get too close will be shot down with extreme prejudice. Cream says she's okay as Robotnik says that calling for reinforcements is futile.

Amy turns the TV off when the scientist begins making his demands, turning her attention to Shadow. “How did you know?” she asks.

He freezes, but she'd seen him tense up. There's no way he hadn't known. “I'm not sure,” he answers, and she can hear the wonder in his voice, see the truth of his words in his furrowed brow. “Instinct, I guess.”

“Well that's some instinct,” Amy huffs, reaching out to take Shadow's hand in her own. He tenses, but doesn't pull away. “You saved me,” she repeats, “thank you.”

“It was the right thing to do,” he replies, tone neutral. She shakes her head.

“It was brave.” She pulls her hand away and turns to Cream. “Do you want to wait with us?” It's worded like a question, but it isn’t really an option. Fortunately, Cream nods, and Amy doesn’t have to forcibly drag her friend back to her condo. Once inside, Shadow asks if he can use the landline and Amy shows him where it is, before grabbing the aloe from the fridge and taking Cream to the downstairs bathroom to use the first aid kit. Cream doesn't even flinch when Amy starts cleaning out her injuries, and Amy suspects that her tiny friend is in shock.

When Amy returns to the kitchen, Shadow’s very agitated. “What are you talking about?” he demands. “There's no way the blast damaged the house, it came from the East side of town.”

A woman replies, but Amy can't pick out any of the words.

“Okay, I'll stay put. But, Aziza? You owe me an explanation.”

Shadow hangs up the phone and then roughly pushes his hand through his hair. Amy wants to reach out and smooth it back into place, but he'd never let her.

“Your sister?” she asks instead, and he turns to her.

“Mother, actually,” he replies in an incredibly flat voice. Amy regrets saying anything.

“Sorry!” she squeaks. “I just assumed, y'know? Cause you were using her first name? And I, ah, I'm sorry. I-”

“Amelia,” he cuts in, “it's alright, it's not you. Okay?” She nods, and a little bit of the tension leaves his eyes. “How is Cream?” he asks as they move out of the kitchen, and as Amy updates him, she wonders if Shadow actually cares or f he's just trying to distract her.

At this point, she’s glad for either.

Tuesday, November 23rd, 5:27pm, Amy's living room

Shadow sits on a couch going over Amy's history work with her while she sits on the floor, even though it's after their tutoring session. The dining room may be destroyed, but most of the downstairs is still intact. Amy seems to appreciate the distraction, and Shadow doesn't know what else to do. He'd told Aziza he'd stay put, after all. While the two of them focus on history, Cream sleeps in Amy's room. They're reviewing the past hour's work when the phone rings, and for a brief moment, Shadow hopes it's his mum.

“Hello?” Amy greets. “Speaking. Okay... okay.... What!? What do you mean there was an accident!?” Shadow watches as his student, usually so vibrant and full of energy, starts shaking. The way she keeps blinking and chewing her lip makes it clear that she's on the verge of tears. The way she's gripping the phone like she wants to smash it lets him know the tears will be angry ones. He wonders if he should step in. “But, they'll be alright, won't they…? Okay... yeah... thank you... alright. Bye.”

It's quiet after she hangs up, and Shadow isn't really sure what he should do. “Amelia?” he prompts, wondering if she wants to be alone.

“It was the hospital,” she whispers in a voice so small that he has to strain to hear it. “My parents...” she trails off with a small hiccup.

“I'm sorry,” he replies softly.

Amy shakes her head, then turns to him and smiles. It's a tight smile that doesn't reach her eyes, but she's trying. “No worries, the doctor said they're in good hands. It might take a while, but they have a good chance of pulling through. They told me I should look into staying with a friend or family member.”

Shadow nods, his respect for his student growing. He thinks of Aziza, and wonders what he'd be doing in Amelia's shoes. “What are you going to do tonight then?”

“I'm going to stay right here with Cream until her parents get back. After that I'm not too sure. I guess I could try calling my cousin Rob, but he lives out in Mercia, so...,” she sighs. “What about you?”

He raises an eyebrow. “What about me?”

“You can't go home, right?” He frowns at that and answers her with a shrug. Amy wraps her arms around herself and bites her lip, as if debating what to say. “Do you want to stay here tonight?” she offers.

“Ah, I'm not... I don't....” Does he have any other options? His mum is going to call later, and even if she doesn't, Rouge lives pretty far away, and her dad doesn't much care for Shadow. Manic's close, but staying in the same house as Sonic seems like a recipe for disaster. “Sure,” he finds himself answering.

“Alright, cool. If my parents' room is intact you can sleep in there.” It isn't even remotely, but Shadow says they can worry about sleeping arrangements later.

When Cream's mum, Vanilla, gets home she makes dinner for everyone. Cream asks about her father, but Vanilla shushes her and changes the subject. It makes for a very stiff and uncomfortable meal, unhelped by the power going off partway through. Everyone decides to retire early after that, and that's when they realize how much trouble the sleeping arrangements are actually going to be.

The bedrooms in Cream and Vanilla's condo both have windows on the East wall, as does Amy's parents room. That leaves Amy's room for the four of them.

“In the morning, I'll ask around to see if anyone has spare bedrooms they're willing to share, but for now we'll have to share Amy's room,” Vanilla says. Shadow grimaces. He has never shared a room before and he really doesn't want to start now. In the end, Amy and Cream get the bed, Vanilla gets the floor next to the bed, and Shadow manages to convince the others that it'd really be better if he slept on the couch in the sitting room, alone.

Shadow runs through the metallic corridor, dragging the dainty blond girl behind him. Everything is the same as it always is in his dream. Well, almost everything. This time there's something different. Some tiny detail that he just can't quite manage to grasp. It's a name... a name he heard recently... if he could just recall....

She trips, and as his momentum carries him the extra steps he tries to turn, fear gripping his heart. He knows what comes next. He sees her, leaning on the control panel. She opens her mouth, but whatever she's about to say is lost to a different voice.

“Shadow,” it hisses. “Wake up!” Someone is shaking him and he groans, willing his heart to slow down. “Shadow,” the wrong voice hisses again. “Please, you'll wake them up.” He cracks an eye open, disoriented to find himself somewhere other than his bed.

“Amy?” he asks, unconsciously using her nickname.

“Hey,” she replies in the softest whisper, smiling a little. She has a cute smile, Shadow's sleep-fogged brain decides. It's very innocent; he likes that. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” he replies just as softly, pulling himself to a sitting position. “It was just a dream.” He chokes a bit on the word 'dream' and hopes she doesn't notice. “What are you doing out here?”

“I couldn't sleep. I'm worried about my parents and my friends, and my friends' parents, and-” she cuts herself off with a sharp inhale, and Shadow gives her a moment to collect herself. “I was just lying there staring at the ceiling, when I heard you start speaking. You sounded scared.” They sit in silence for a while before she meets his eyes. “Who's Maria?” she asks, and it's like a knife tearing into his heart. Images flash into his head of the blond girl from his dreams. She's laughing in most of them, as vibrant and full of youth as Amy, crying in others, pale and weak. And, of course, the image he can never fully forget, silver walls and bullets tearing through her chest.

He shuts his eye and shakes his head, wishing he could erase the visions from his mind the way one erases the pictures on an etch-a-sketch. “She's no one.” He says it through gritted teeth, and he knows there's no way Amy believes it. She doesn't say anything, though, just leans forward and wraps her arms around him in a warm embrace.

He stiffens and she whispers “I'm sorry,” into his ear. After a moment he awkwardly returns the embrace, wrapping his own arms around her waist.

“Me too,” he admits. They sit like that for a little bit before Amy pulls away, though her hands don't leave his shoulders.

“You can talk to me, if you want.” He shakes his head at the offer, gently removing her hands.

“Go back to bed Amelia,” he says, patting her head awkwardly.

He stays sitting for a long time after Amy leaves, and all he can think is that Rouge was right. Amy _is_ a nice girl, undeserving of the grief he tends to give people. He wishes he could shield her from whatever comes next, protect her until this is all over. He knows he can't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mind the tags.


	8. Chapter 7 - It seems you've never tasted fear, or loss of control

Wednesday, November 24th, 8:13am, Amy's room

Amy wakes up, and for a moment she pretends the previous day didn't happen. She's alone in her bed, slightly uncomfortable from a bad sunburn, morning light caressing her skin and filling her room, the smell of breakfast drifting down the hall and faintly tickling her nose. The illusion shatters when someone drops a bunch of glass. With a small sigh, Amy gets out of bed and heads into the landing between her room, the sitting room, and her parents' room. There, she finds three large garbage bags filled to the brim with broken things. Mostly glass.

She stares, and Shadow steps into the landing holding yet another bag. “You're… cleaning?” she can't help but ask. Shadow doesn't strike her as the type to help out like this, but then again he's tutoring her, and he pulled her out of the pool, and he _shielded_ her with his own body yesterday....

“I don't like being unproductive,” he says, and she knows him well enough to know that he won't elaborate further unless she pries. “Cream is in the kitchen,” he tells her as he ties off the garbage bag. “Why don't you go help her out?” Then he disappears back through the sitting room.

“Right,” she whispers to the quiet landing before heading downstairs and around the corner into the kitchen.

“Oh, you're up!” Cream greets, her eyes puffy and red from crying. But, her smile is as bright as ever, even if it looks out of place on her burnt and cut face.

“Yeah, sorry for sleeping in. Ah, Cream?”

“What is it Amy?”

Amy hesitates, unsure how to phrase her question. “Are you alright? You look... you look....” Try as she might, she can’t find a tactful way to put her thoughts into words.

Cream frowns at Amy's stumbling. “I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me,” she whispers. Her eyes seem to brim up with tears even as she says it, and the resigned tone in her voice does nothing to reassure Amy. Before she can say anything else Shadow joins them, placing a hand on Amy's shoulder. She looks at him with something akin to shock and he shakes his head before dropping his hand and stepping further into the kitchen.

“Has Vanilla returned?” he asks, voice as carefully neutral as ever. There's something reassuring about that.

“Not yet,” Cream answers, turning her head back to the pan she's using. Amy blinks as a thought hits her.

“How are you cooking?” she asks.

“There's a generator in the basement; a bunch of the residents here voted to turn it on for an hour in the mornings and an hour in the evenings,” Shadow answers. “No one knows how long we'll be without power, so it seemed safer to minimize generator use.”

They lapse into silence as Cream finishes cooking their breakfast. For Amy, the silence is an awkward one she doesn't know how to break. A literal bomb has dropped, rendering all her previous problems inconsequential.

“Breakfast is ready!” Cream announces, and the three of them sit on the floor and eat in silence. Each of them seems lost in their own thoughts. For Amy, her thoughts are focused on her friends. She wonders how everyone is doing, if they're hurt at all. As she finishes her pancakes, she resolves to check on them. First she'll go to Sonic's, since it's closest, and Sonia will have word on Rouge if she's there. Then she'll head over to Blaze's. Simple enough. She finishes her current bite and relays her plan to the others.

“I'm not so sure that's a good idea,” Shadow replies, much to Amy's frustration.

“And why not!?” she demands. He raises an eyebrow at her, and she can't stand it.

“Well for starters, how safe do you think the streets are after that blast? A lot of the buildings will be really unstable, and the old tunnels under the city may have collapsed. On top of that, there are bound to be people in a panic out there. Whether they're looking for loved ones, or they’re hurt, or even just looting, everyone is going to be on edge. On another note, say you reach your friends safely. What makes you think they want to see you right now? I'm sure some of them have lost people close to them, or are missing family members. They may want to be alone. Honestly, it's just not a very good idea.” The entire time he's speaking Amy can feel her face growing hotter, her vision grows distant as her eyes well with tears. She clenches her teeth and fists until it hurts.

“You think I don't know that,” she demands, getting to her feet and stalking over to Shadow so that she looms over him. “Of course it's dangerous! Of course people are panicking! But you know what? They're afraid, Shadow, and so am I. I am _terrified_ that my friends are out there somewhere, crushed under a building and hurt, maybe even dead, and for what? Because of some self-important scientist!? What do you expect me to do, stay at home and twiddle my thumbs? Because if you think for one moment that I'd accept that, then you have no _idea_ what kind of person I am!” As she speaks her voice gets angrier and angrier, so that by the time she's done she's towering over her tutor, seething, and a step away from screaming. Shadow, somehow, looks calm and collected as he meets her eyes. Slowly, he gets to his feet.

“Maybe so, Amelia-”

“Amy.” The correction is sharp, immediate. They maintain heated eye contact for a moment before Shadow turns away.

“Do you really hate your name so much?” he asks softly, and the change in topic catches her off guard. She stutters before swallowing her confusion.

“It's just so formal, y'know? ‘Amelia’ is a princess who sits apart from everyone else and is a perfect lady at all times. ‘Amy’ could be your best friend, though.”

Shadow ponders this. “Perhaps.”

There’s a pause before Amy speaks again. “I'm going to check on my friends now and you can't stop me,” she says before turning to the door. A warm hand on her wrist halts her in her tracks, and she supresses the urge to turn and slap him.

“Miss Rose-”

“Even Amelia is better than that,” she growls, snatching her arm back and making for the door again.

“At least put on some real clothes,” Shadow calls, and a wave of heat spreads through Amy's body. She'd almost left the condo in pink bunny shorts and her comfiest tank top, which is so old and worn that you can see through it in some patches. That would have been mortifying. Honestly, it's bad enough that Shadow has seen the outfit.

Amy finds Shadow waiting by the door with his bag after she finishes changing. Cream, who had stayed so very quiet during the argument, is nowhere to be seen. When asked about it, Shadow says that the younger girl decided to help her mum on a lower floor.

Now, walking to Sonic's with Shadow, Amy can't help but watch him out of the corner of her eye. His skin is flushed from the burns he'd gotten yesterday—though, they are nowhere near as bad as Cream's—and the sun is making the red in his hair and eyes pop. It also makes it easier to see how tired he is; see the frustration in his eyes. He's frowning, which isn't out of the ordinary for him, but the tilt of his head seems different than usual. He seems lost in thought, right up until he glances at her.

“Do you need something?” The sneer in his voice puts a blush in Amy's cheeks. She thought they were getting closer, but those walls from the first time they met seem firmly back in place.

“Oh, ah, no actually, I was just... admiring you,” she admits, feeling very self-conscious about it. Perhaps it would have been better to lie.

Shadow makes an odd expression at that- mouth twisting uncertainly and eyebrows furrowing. “Right,” he says, and the blush on Amy's cheeks grows. She shouldn't have said anything; it's weird to admire people. She's weird. She probably made him uncomfortable.

They reach Sonic's house, and as they walk up to the door it opens, revealing none other than her blue-haired hero. “Amy? What are you doing here?”

Amy squeals and rushes over to her boyfriend, throwing herself into his arms and burying her face in his chest. “Oh Sonic,” she cries, “I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried after that explosion yesterday. You _are_ okay, right? Are Sonia and Manic here too? Are they okay?”

“Easy,” Sonic wheezes as Amy clings to him trying to ask a thousand questions in a single breath. Slowly, he disentangles from her embrace. “Amy, relax; I'm fine. Sonia and Manic are also fine. I'm actually going to get Sonia right now. But, ah,” he frowns and pauses as he notices Amy’s escort, shooting the other boy a quizzical look. “What's Shadow doing here?”

“Oh!” Amy squeaks, finally releasing Sonic completely to rush back to Shadow and grab his arm. She drags him over, much to his displeasure. “Shadow saved me from the blast,” she explains, “and then his mum didn't want him coming home last night, maybe in case of another attack? So he stayed with me. Oh!” Something alarming occurs to Amy and her eyes widen. “Don't worry, though, Sonic! Nothing happened, I promise! We didn't even sleep in the same room!” she hastens to assure her beau, earning an incredulous stare from Shadow. “I promise, Sonic, I love you and only you!” she continues, leaning closer and closer to Sonic the longer she babbles, staring up at him and trying to convey the truth of her words through her eyes.

Sonic laughs nervously. “Ah, alright,” he replies uncomfortably, leaning away. “Look, I really gotta get going. I mean, yesterday was exciting and all, but mom made me stay inside and-”

“Exciting?” Shadow cuts in. “Yesterday was _exciting_?”

Sonic rubs his nose as he fumbles for a reply. “Well, I mean, I guess that's not-”

“Is this a game to you?” Shadow asks in a voice that's positively dripping contempt. “People are dead. People are trapped. They can't go home, or don't have a home to go back to, and you have the _audacity_ to complain about being stuck inside?”

“Come on, man, that's not what I meant,” Sonic protests. “I just-”

Shadow does not let him continue his defence. “No, I don't want your flimsy excuses. You are a pathetic, whiny, entitled, child-”

“Stop it!” Amy butts in, stepping right up to Shadow and getting in his face. “Don't you dare utter another word about my Sonic,” she hisses, glaring at him. “Sonic is the bravest, kindest person I have ever met, so back off!”

Shadow snorts, tilting his head back so he can sneer down his nose at Amy. “I hardly think that poser is as wonderful as you claim.”

Amy blinks. “Poser?”

“Ask him about our little talk in the woods, I'm sure that will clear some things up,” Shadow says, tone flat but eyes piercing.

“Are you calling me a faker!?” Sonic demands.

Shadow raises an eyebrow. “Hardly the word I would choose, but yes.”

“I'll make you eat those words!” Sonic shouts before charging at Shadow, who barely manages a dodge.

“Oho, it seems I've hit a nerve,” Shadow taunts with a malicious grin. “What's the matter, Sonic, don't want your _girlfriend_ to know how you really feel?” Sonic swings, and Shadow dodges again. Time slows as it looks like they're going to have an actual fistfight.

Amy rushes between them, turning to Sonic with quizzical eyes. “Sonic? What is Shadow talking about?”

Sonic freezes, then drops his stance with a sigh. “Nothing, Ames. Shadow's a jerk who wants to make me look bad. That's all.”

Amy looks at Shadow, hoping to see confirmation in his eyes. Instead, frustration and distaste live in them. “Sure, let's go with that,” he says, voice cold, before turning to go.

“Wait, where are you going?” Amy calls after him, taking an unconscious step in his direction.

“I got you to your boyfriend's house,” he says simply, continuing on his way.

Amy hesitates, considers letting him go, but... she runs back down Sonic's steps to the edge of the yard. She's dimly aware of Sonic calling after her, but she has to do this. Shadow turns to her with a raised eyebrow. “Look,” she begins, “I'm really not okay with you attacking Sonic, but if you still need a place to stay...”

Shadow opens his mouth as if to argue, but falters. “Amelia,” he breathes out instead, a hand twitching towards her own as if he wants to take it. “Thank you. I should be fine, though.”

Amy shakes her head. “Don't lie to me. Anyway, this isn't me forgiving you or anything, but, if you need anything...,” she trails off before reaching into her pocket and pulling something out. She holds her hand out, palm down and fist closed, and looks at him expectantly. He quirks an eyebrow but opens his palm for her, and Amy places a small, silver key in it. “Come back tonight, okay? Even if you're not staying, swing by to let me know what you're doing. If you don't, you're in big trouble!” Everything comes out in a rush, and Shadow just stares.

“Why?” he asks after the silence goes on too long.

“Because I'll worry,” she explains, reaching forward to close his fingers around the key.

“But, why?” he repeats, and Amy feels her heart breaking for him. Is he not used to people caring?

“Because that's what friends do,” she says softly. He frowns, staring into her eyes as if looking for some ulterior motive. He must not find one, because he nods and turns to go. This time when he walks away, Amy doesn't stop him.

“What was that about?” Sonic asks once Amy returns to him.

“I gave him my building key in case he needs it again tonight,” she answers, and Sonic grimaces.

“Are you sure you should be letting him stay with you?” he asks, tone huffy.

Amy squirms uncomfortably, because a good girlfriend wouldn't be so nice to someone who just provoked their boyfriend, but... “I don't think he has anywhere else to go,” she whispers, and Sonic's scowl softens.

“Amy... what about you?” She blinks uncomprehendingly at that.

“What about me?”

“How are you going to get home tonight?”

“Oh, I'll try to be home early enough for someone to let me in. I hope that’s okay with you?”

Sonic shoots her a strained smile. “Of course it is, Amy. It's my favourite thing about you, the way you care about everyone. Even if they don't deserve it.”

“Oh Sonic!” Amy squeals, throwing herself into his arms once again. “You're making me blush!”

As Sonic attempts to remove Amy from his person, the door opens again. “So that's what the commotion is about,” Manic says with a grin. Then he notices Shadow several blocks down the street. “Is that Shadow?”

“Yeah, he walked me over,” Amy answers.

Manic glances down at her with a smile and reaches over to ruffle her hair. “I'm really glad you're safe, Ames, but Shadow is my friend too. So, if you don't mind, we'll have to catch up later.” With that he gives her and Sonic a mock salute then takes off down the street, sprinting to catch up.

With Manic gone, Sonic turns to Amy. “Do you want to come with me to get Sonia?” he asks, and she nods. The walk to Rouge's is a long one, and they quickly run out of things to talk about as the sight of their ruined city pushes each of them further and further into their own thoughts. They're not the only people out, but everyone is so focused internally that they might as well be. Amy wonders what it's like downtown, or near the impact site. She shudders as she thinks about it. The day is bright and shiny; it feels oppressive.

As they make their way across town, Amy eventually notices that they're not heading to Rouge's house. “Hey Sonic?” she asks, and he glances at her, “where are we going?”

“The hospital,” he answers. “Sonia called from a payphone before the power went.”

Fear strikes Amy's heart. “Why is she there?”

“Her and Rouge were outside with Bunnie when the blast hit. She says she's fine, but Bunnie-” Sonic's voice drops off, and he looks terrified for the first time Amy can remember since Manic went missing for an entire summer.

“It's not your fault,” she tells him.

“Maybe, but... I want to find Robotnik, and when I do I want to hurt him.” There's something terrifying in Sonic's eyes as he says it, but she takes his hand anyways.

“We'll figure something out: a way to get back at him.” She doesn't believe her words but for Sonic's sake, she hopes he does.

They lapse into silence until Amy decides to bring up something else that's bothering her. “Sonic?”

“Yes?”

“What did you and Shadow talk about? In the woods, I mean.” She suspects this will be a difficult subject but she isn't prepared for Sonic to stop in his tracks and look at her with something akin to panic. “You know I can just ask Shadow when he stops in tonight, right?”

“How do you know he'll stop in?” Sonic asks quietly.

“Why wouldn't he?”

“Because he's a loner who doesn't like anyone. The only person he cares about is himself. Maybe Rouge.”

Amy frowns. “Then why did he walk me to your place?”

“He probably felt like he owed you for letting him stay the night. Trust me, Ames, Shadow is not a good guy.”

She remembers how unguarded Shadow's expression was after his nightmare, remembers the way he accepted her hug. There's a difference between not liking people and not letting them in, and she heavily suspects Shadow falls into the latter category. She doesn't voice the thought to Sonic though, doesn't think he'd appreciate it. Instead, she returns to the original question. “What did you two talk about that's so bad you can't tell me?”

“Just drop it, okay Amy? I just... I can't... don't worry about it, alright? It doesn't matter anymore.”

The resignation in Sonic's voice gets to her, and Amy feels her will crumble. “Alright, I'll drop it for now, but after this is over, you have to tell me.”

Wednesday, November 24th, 9:46am, Mission Street SW

Shadow is glad to get away from Amy. It's not that he doesn't enjoy her company, he's surprised to realize, it's that whenever he’s around her, he feels confused and jumbled. He's not sure what she's doing to him but it's been going on since the moment she emerged from her bedroom. Maybe it's how she talks to him, or the way she cares so deeply for everyone around her- even for him? And she does care, doesn't she? She has to. Why else would she give him her key? Why else would she reach out and offer support the way she did last night?

But, no matter what she says, she isn't his friend. She can't be. He doesn't want her to be; he likes being alone. It gives him freedom, means he has less to lose, and that can only be a good thing. Still, such a sweet girl... So caring, so loving... The way she adores Sonic is proof of her capacity to love. Sonic is irresponsible, and yet she never seems to fault him for it or hold it against him. Shadow thinks he might actually hate Sonic for the way he's lying to Amy: leading her on and filling her with hopes for a future that will never happen. It's obvious he doesn't want to be with her, so why can't he just man up and tell her? The entire situation is disgusting.

The sound of footsteps snaps Shadow back to the world around him, and he glances behind him to see Manic approaching rapidly. Shadow stops to let the green-haired youth catch up and Manic grins at him.

“You must have something important on your mind,” he comments. “I called you, like, five times. What's up?”

Shadow frowns. Had he really been that distracted? “Your brother is an ass,” he replies honestly.

“Yeah, he can be, but it's never intentional. What'd he do?”

“For one thing, there's his attitude. He acts like yesterday was a game.”

“Yesterday fucked him up, and I think he blames himself, which is stupid, but like, he's too stubborn to reason with.”

Shadow nods and there's a minute of silence before Manic speaks again. “So, what else?”

“Pardon?”

“You said 'for one thing', meaning there's another thing, or a few other things. So, what else?”

Shadow frowns, unsure if he wants to get into this with Manic. “I dislike how he treats Amelia.”

Manic shoots him a surprised look, laughing uncomfortably. “I didn't think you'd care,” he admits.

“I don't.” The response is automatic, and Shadow can feel the tips of his ears reddening under Manic's skeptical gaze. “I mean, obviously I do, but I don't know why it bothers me.”

Manic laughs. “Maybe you're jealous,” he suggests, and Shadow scoffs.

“Right. That's it. _I'm_ jealous of _Sonic_.” He snorts. The very idea! “No, it's that he's leading her on. It isn't right.”

Manic sighs. “No, but he can't bring himself to disappoint her. She's our baby sister, we just want her to be happy.”

“And how does lying accomplish that?” Shadow asks.

“She's crazy about him, it would break her heart if he rejected her.”

“And finding out he lied about loving her won't? The longer this goes on, the worse the fallout will be.”

Manic scrubs a hand through his hair, dishevelling his clearly-slept-in spikes. “I know that,” he groans, “but, like, the fuck am I supposed to do about it? I don't want to be the one to tell her, and Sonic literally can't.”

Shadow suspects that literally is not the correct word in this context, but it doesn’t matter. He's made a decision. “If no one else is going to say anything, then I will.”

Manic stumbles, turning to Shadow with wide eyes. “She won't thank you for it,” he points out. “She might even resent you for it.”

Shadow shrugs. If she resents him, maybe she'll stop being so nice to him, and then maybe he'll stop feeling so weird around her.

The silence doesn't last long before Manic fills it. “So where are we headed?” he asks, crossing his arms behind his head.

“ _I'm_ going home,” Shadow answers. “ _You_ can do whatever you please.”

“Coolio, I'll tag along. Is it okay if you bring home company unannounced?” he asks, as if that would even matter after yesterday. Except, Aziza had told him not to come home....

Shadow stops walking. Manic gives him a funny look. “Is somethin' wrong?”

“I don't know,” Shadow answers before breaking into a run.

Manic curses, chasing after Shadow. “Yo, wait up!” he calls, and Shadow stops just long enough for Manic to catch up before grabbing his slower companion's wrist and starting to sprint again. Manic squeaks, barely keeping his feet under him.

As they approach Shadow's street, he slows down, gesturing for Manic to do the same. The other teen opens his mouth, but Shadow gestures to him to be quiet. Slowly, they start creep around the corner, only for Shadow to immediately pull back. The third house on the right is surrounded by G.U.N. agents, much to his confusion.

“Whoa,” Manic breathes. “What the hell is going on over there?”

Shadow frowns. “I don't know, but I'd like to find out.” He glances at Manic. “Can you go ask them?”

Manic blinks at him. “Me? Why do I gotta be the one?”

“Because my mother told me not to come home and now there are armed forces around my house. The day after a massive explosion. Put two and two together.”

“Shit, yeah alright. What should I say?”

“Whatever you want.”

Manic makes a face at Shadow, then sighs and gets up. He strolls around the corner and does a very good job of looking surprised to see the G.U.N. agents. “Excuse me,” he calls, walking towards the agents and out of Shadow's sight. “What's all this about?”

“Matter of national security,” a deep voice answers in an almost bored tone. “Top secret.”

“Right, but why are you surrounding Shadow's house?”

“Do you know the location of the Hassans?” the deep voice demands, all traces of boredom gone.

“What? No, that's actually why I'm here. Shadow was supposed to call me yesterday, but he never did,” there's a pause, and when Manic speaks again his voice is thick with emotion. “I'm really worried. Do you think he could've been caught in that explosion?”

“You and Shadow are close, then?” the man asks.

“Yeah, he's my best friend. We go everywhere together. But... he's not in any trouble, is he?”

“The Hassans are not in trouble, but it is of the utmost priority that we find them. So, if you see them at all,” silence for a moment, “come to this address. Bring them with you, if you can.”

“Oh, sure, of course! Thanks.” There's the sound of footsteps, and then Manic comes back around the corner. He slips in next to Shadow. “What the hell are you involved in?”

“I have no idea,” Shadow answers honestly. He suspects Aziza knows, though. Where _is_ she?

Manic nods, and they start wandering away. After a few blocks he speaks up. “Man, I owe you an apology.”

Shadow raises an eyebrow. “Oh?” he prompts after a minute of the eyebrow not getting him an explanation.

“I, ah, may have stolen your bike a few years ago.”

“Manic!”

“And your basketball,” Manic continues, and Shadow feels an angry heat rising in his gut.

“That was you!?”

“And your cat.”

“I-” Shadow pauses, cutting himself off with a frown. “Actually, I never owned a cat.”

Manic furrows his brow. “Oh. Whose cat did I steal, then? Whatever, too late now. Anyways, I also egged your house a few times.” Shadow clenches and unclenches his fists, resisting the mounting urge to strike his friend. “And I-” Manic continues, but Shadow cuts him off.

“Stop! I don't want to know! What the hell is wrong with you?”

Manic's eyes go wide as saucers and he holds his hands up in the universal gesture of surrender. After a moment, he drops his hands, clasping them in front of himself with an awkward laugh. “Shit dude, you can be really scary, y'know? Like, your eyes do this thing and your voice gets all low an' shit. I actually thought I was gonna die for a minute there.”

Shadow struggles to control his breathing, makes an effort to swallow down his mounting emotions. “Why?” Manic blinks, looking for all the world like a lost puppy, so Shadow elaborates like a reasonable person. “Why did you steal my things and egg my house?”

“Oh, haha. Well, I mean, in my defence I didn't know it was _your_ house,” Manic answers, as if that makes it okay.

Shadow dead-eyes Manic. “So, why did you steal a stranger's things and egg a stranger's house?”

“Man, I don't know. My best friend used to live there, and I guess I was pissed when I saw that another kid had moved in and taken his place.”

Shadow blinks at Manic. “Wait, so you stole Ms. Kitty because you were mad that someone moved away?”

“Okay, one, _Mr. Flufflebottom_ should never have been outside in the first place so that's on you. Two, I thought you said you never owned a cat?”

Shadow can feel his cheeks colouring. “I didn't. Ms. Kitty was a stray I liked to feed. I thought she died.”

“Oh not at all. I actually still have him. Do you wanna come see him?”

Shadow nods before he can think better of it. “Later, though. I need to find Rouge.”

“Rouge? What for?”

He shrugs. “I'm going to need a place to stay. Plus, I want to get some things from my house and Rouge is a master at getting in and out of buildings undetected.”

Manic pouts. “Bruh, what about me? I'm already here.”

Shadow blinks at Manic, “your idea of stealth involves a baseball bat and running,” he points out.

Manic huffs. “No, my idea of stealing robot parts involves a baseball bat and running. I'm great at stealth. When I want to be.”

“Manic,” Shadow growls, earning an awkward chuckle from his companion.

“Relax dude, I'm a pro. Besides, do you really think I'd let you sneak into a G.U.N. guarded facility without me? Even if it _is_ just your house, there's no way I'm sitting this one out.”

And with that, Shadow heads to the hospital with Manic, since apparently Rouge went there with Sonia and another friend yesterday. The hospital is incredibly crowded when they get there: nurses run all around and patients line the walls, even outside the ER. Shadow considers trying to stop one to ask where Rouge might be, but he doubts anyone would know.

“Any idea where they are?” he asks Manic, who shrugs.

“Sonia said she was on the second floor somewhere?”

Shadow spots a set of stairs and they head up. It takes fifteen minutes of wandering for them to find Rouge, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. She's dirty and covered in scrapes and bruises. Her tan looks a good deal pinker than usual, and her hair is a mess. She looks _pissed_.

“Rouge,” Shadow greets as he approaches.

She must have been pretty zoned out because she jumps at the sound of his voice. “Shadow? What are you doing here?” She blanches before he can say anything, a thought occurring to her. “Is Aziza-”

“No,” he answers before she can finish the question. His mum is fine. She has to be. “Actually, I came looking for you.”

“Oh,” she replies, a tired smile stretching her lips. It doesn't reach her eyes. Despite that, her voice is the same as it always is as she purrs, “Were you worried about little old me?”

While Sonic acting so blas _é_ had come off as offensive and selfish, Rouge doing it puts Shadow at ease. In the face of her confidence, it's easy to believe things will work out.

“Hardly,” he says. “It would take more firepower than Robotnik has to do you in.”

Rouge smirks, nodding her head in assent. “True,” she agrees. “But, if you weren't worried then why are you here?”

Shadow tells her about the agents stationed around his house, with dramatic commentary by Manic, and the three of them come up with a plan. First, they need to get some stuff from Rouge's house, then Manic will go to the address he was given by the agent and report that he saw Shadow by Rouge's house. Hopefully, a few agents stationed around Shadow's house will head off in that direction. After that, the three of them will meet up at Manic's and then head to Shadow's, where it's just a matter of getting the three of them in and out without being caught.

At no point do any of them question each other's motives. None of them are the type to sit around during a crisis: Shadow and Rouge are people of action, and Manic thrives off of chaos. As they go over their plan, it occurs to Shadow that Rouge's dad would have no problem turning him over to the authorities, and he’s grateful that Amy gave him her key.

With their plan figured out, Rouge says she needs to slip into the room behind her to make sure Sonia and Bunnie will be okay without her—apparently the only reason she'd left them at all was the arrival of Sonic and Amy. Shadow and Manic follow her into the cramped room. There are a few beds, and Sonic, Amy, and Sonia are crowded next to one of them. In the bed is a sleeping girl with long blond hair, tan skin, and a light dusting of freckles. Shadow recognizes her from school as Bunnie. Something about the way the blanket lays on her looks off, but Rouge speaks up before Shadow can focus on it.

“We need to go out and get some supplies,” she says. “Will you guys be okay without me?”

Sonia hesitates, and Sonic answers for her. “Do you have to go? Mom wants Sonia to come home,” he explains.

Rouge glances at Shadow, lips pressed together. “I don't want to leave Bunnie alone,” she says, and Shadow groans.

“We need you,” he points out. Rouge nods, but doesn't look happy about it.

Amy looks between the groups with a slight frown before stepping forward. “I could stay.”

Rouge blinks. “Do you even know Bunnie?” she asks, and Amy shakes her head.

“No, but, if Sonia doesn't go home Aleena will panic, and Shadow needs you for, ah, whatever it is. But me? No one needs me right now. At least this way, I can be useful.”

Rouge's shoulders lose some of their tension. “Yeah, okay. Well then, we should get going.”

Shadow nods, but a thought occurs to him. “Amelia,” he says, turning to his student. “Could we speak for a moment?”

“Of course!” She steps away from the others and follows him to the hall. “What's up, are you okay? Do you still need a place to stay?”

“I'm fine,” he answers, and then he hesitates. By staying with her, he's very likely putting her in danger....

“Shadow?” Amy prompts, but he can't bring himself to ask. It isn't right. “Look, if you need to stay at my place again tonight, it's fine. Really. So, if that's why you're having trouble with this, just… don't be afraid to ask, okay? I want to help.”

A lump forms in his throat. Why is she so nice to him? “Amelia...,” he swallows, “thank you. Would you like your key back? I'll be late coming in.”

She smiles, shaking her head. “How about you and Rouge meet me back here? Then Rouge can go back to watching Bunnie, and we can head home together.” He nods, and she gives him another, strained smile. “Be careful, okay?”

Why is it so hard to swallow? “You too.”

She turns to the room, only to hesitate a moment. He opens his mouth to ask what's wrong, but is cut off by her arms suddenly wrapping around him in a quick but crushing hug. Then, just as quick, she lets him go and slips back into the hospital room. A moment later, Rouge and Manic come out.

“You ready?” Manic asks.

Shadow nods. “Yeah. What now?”

“We gather supplies and then wait for the sun to go down,” Rouge answers, which gives them about seven hours to prepare.

The walk to Rouge's house is a long one, and the walk back is even longer. Manic separates from them long enough to stop in at the G.U.N. given address, meeting back up with Shadow and Rouge at his place. Then, they wait until the sun sets, allowing them to head to Shadow's through backyards and alleys while remaining largely unnoticed. Once there, the three of them are disappointed to find no less agents than that morning, but it can't be helped now. As they contemplate what to do next, they circle the house through neighbouring yards, and Rouge notices something.

“There are no guards on that side,” she whispers, pointing to a narrow path between the house and the fence. And why would there be? The only visible windows on that side are too small for a person, and it's barely wide enough for a person to get through.

The only _visible_ windows.

If Shadow remembers correctly... he gestures for Rouge and Manic to follow, making his way around and silently climbing over the fence. After a moment of searching, he finds it practically flush with the ground and obscured by bushes: a window into the basement. It's blocked by a bug screen and probably crusted shut by dirt, so it's not the smoothest of ideas, but it's a start.

Manic pulls a knife out of his pocket, Rouge pulls a screwdriver from the bag she got at her house, and they start unscrewing the screen together. The whole time they're doing this, Shadow is glancing down either side of their path. All it would take is one person looking at this side of the house and they'd be screwed. Luck is with them though; Manic and Rouge are able to get the bug screen off and slide the window open without anyone noticing. It's a tight fit, and it comes out on top of heavily cluttered filing cabinets, but the three teens are all able to squeeze in.

“What are we looking for?” Manic breathes into the pitch dark of the basement.

“Some clothes, toiletries, my hover skates, and anything that might indicate where Aziza went and why G.U.N. is here.”

“It's probably best if you stay down here,” Rouge suggests, handing Shadow a flashlight. He’ll go through the drawers and cabinets where his mum keeps important files while she and Manic head upstairs.

“D'you wanna get Shadow's things, or-?” Manic asks.

“I'll look for clues in Aziza's room,” Rouge answers in a tone that says she will not be swayed.

Manic nods. “Is your room the one by the bathroom?” It's Shadow's turn to nod.

Once his companions are upstairs, Shadow considers all the things Manic doesn't know about his house, all the things Manic _might_ know. Does he know about the third stair from the top? About the way it creeks if you step on it when going down but not when going up? Rouge knows, and that will have to be enough.

Reluctantly, he shines his flashlight around looking for where to start, only to notice something off about his mum's bookshelf. He looks closer and frowns at the way it's pushed slightly away from the wall, almost as if.... He reaches out to tug it further and swings open a secret door, revealing a strange metal lined cubby room filled with filing cabinets and official looking government folders.

“What were you into?” he breathes out to the still air before beginning to rummage through the folders. He quickly realizes that someone has already gone through and taken any relevant files. He finds one or two loose papers, but they're complete gibberish to him. After thirty minutes of no luck, Shadow's relieved to hear light footsteps on the stairs. Still, on the off chance that it isn't Manic and Rouge he pulls the bookshelf-door mostly shut and huddles behind it.

“Shadow?” a familiar honey voice calls into the dark as a flashlight beam sweeps the room.

“Did you guys find anything?” Shadow asks, emerging from the secret room. Rouge starts, but it's Manic that answers first. “Ch'yeah bro. I got your skates and a bag of clothing. I, ah, may have dumped your backpack on your couch, hope you don't mind,” he says, sounding way too at ease about the situation for Shadow's liking.

“Rouge?”

She hesitates. “Aziza's room is empty, Shadow.”

“What do you mean empty?”

“There's nothing in it. It's empty. I mean, her furniture is still there, but like, her clothing and stuff? Gone. I did hear some guards talking in your kitchen about how bad it would be if Robotnik got his hands on Project Something-or-other, though. Does that help?”

Shadow grits his teeth. “You shouldn't have gotten close enough to hear them at all, Rouge. Until we know what's going on, it's too dangerous.”

“I was fine,” she hisses back.

“Hey amigos? Not to harsh the party but, ah, shouldn't we, like, leave?” Shadow shoots Manic a surprised look. Of the three, Manic definitely shouldn't be the voice of reason, and yet.

“Are we going out the way we came, then?” Rouge wants to know.

Manic grins. “Actually, I have a better idea.”

Manic's idea is not better. There is no world in which what they are about to do is considered better than going out the way they came in. He wants them to jump out of Shadow's bedroom window into a tree in the neighbours’ yard, and for some insane reason, Rouge thinks this is a good idea.

After some debate, they determine that Rouge should go first because her years of gymnastics almost guarantees she'll make the jump. Then Shadow can go, since he's always been athletically inclined. Manic reckons he'll probably make it, but Shadow and Rouge both remember his abysmal performance in the long jump event at track and field day, and they figure it's best if they wait beneath the tree to catch him ~~when he fails~~ if he falls.

Rouge and Shadow make it into the tree without problem, but the branch Manic is aiming for breaks, and the sound definitely gets the attention of the nearby G.U.N. agents. Thinking fast, Shadow shoves his hover skates onto Manic's feet. “There's a button in the toe to activate them,” he hisses, yanking his green-haired friend to his feet and giving him a shove. “Meet us at the hospital.” Then he grabs Rouge's wrist and starts running as hard as he can. Manic passes them after a moment, quickly outpacing them and disappearing out of sight. Shadow drags Rouge into a back alley and they start a long, complicated chase into the night. Eventually they manage to lose the pursuing agents, but just in case, he and Rouge stick to alleys and keep running.

Eventually they collapse on a bench outside the hospital, breathing hard. They'd been running almost nonstop for far longer than either was prepared for.

“There you two are,” Manic calls from the doorway. A nasty set of scrapes on his arm make it clear that the skates did not hold up all the way, but Manic barely seems to notice. “I was worried sick! Why did you give _me_ the skates?”

“Because... you're... slowest... runner...” Shadow wheezes out. His breath doesn't take long to catch up with him, though, and after a minute, he sits up. “So, tell me again, why did we go with the tree idea?”

Manic grins at the question. “Seemed like it'd be fun.” Shadow just stares. Fun? They risked breaking limbs and being caught for _fun_?

“You should go,” he says, “before I kill you.”

Manic laughs at that, but something in Shadow's expression stops him and he swallows. “Wait, for real?”

Rouge laughs before Shadow can answer that. “Shadow, you can't kill him! I like this one,” she says with a wink before blowing Manic a kiss.

Manic laughs. “Plus, when I die, I'm going out in a blaze of glory. S'like, you can't kill me.” Shadow stares disbelievingly as Manic turns to Rouge and flutters his eyelashes. “You know,” he drawls, tone innocent, “if you ever wanted to do that again....”

“By 'that', do you mean breaking into a building guarded by G.U.N. and almost breaking our necks on the way out?” Rouge teases.

“What else?” Manic challenges, and Shadow determines that his only two friends never should have met.

“Thank you for helping, guys,” he cuts in.

“Oh sweetie,” Rouge replies, ignoring Shadow completely. “I don't do repeat dates.”

Manic laughs at that, but Shadow cuts in again. “If you don't mind, I think we've kept Amelia waiting long enough.”

Rouge rolls her eyes, but is nice enough to get to her feet and follow Shadow into the hospital. Manic, on the other hand, gives Shadow a funny look.

“Since when do you call her Amelia?” Shadow blinks at him.

Shadow blinks at him. “Since always?”

Manic frowns. “Seriously?” Shadow nods, giving him a sideways look. “Huh. Oh, actually, yeah, I guess I do remember that... but it's weird. No one calls her that.”

Shadow raises an eyebrow at that. “ _I_ call her that.”

Manic nods. “Well yeah, but you're weird; super hot, but _so_ weird.”

Rouge cackles and Shadow feels his whole body blush. He's not sure what makes him more uncomfortable: _Manic_ calling him weird, or anyone at all complimenting him on his appearance. He's aware that he's not _bad_ looking, but he's not used to people saying anything about it. He decides to ignore the comment entirely, entering the hospital and making his way to the room he'd left Amy in.

She’s asleep on the floor when Shadow finds her, and he wonders what time it is. “Hey,” he whispers, gently jostling her shoulder to wake her.

She groans softly, eyes fluttering open. “Shadow?” Her voice is thick with sleep, and he feels bad for waking her.

“Hey,” he repeats, “sorry to keep you. Rouge is here now, do you still want to go home?”

She nods, rubbing sleep out of her eyes and getting to her feet. She looks bone weary. There are bags under her eyes that hadn't been there when he'd left, and her hair is a tangled mess. A part of him itches to smooth it, but he resists the urge. She gives Rouge a quick hug, and then Amy, Shadow, and Manic head out towards the apartment.

The brisk night air seems to wake her up, and Amy shivers against the wind. Shadow's about to offer her a coat when Manic beats him to it by stretching an arm out and letting her huddle against his side. Shadow listens silently as Manic tells her a story about the time he and Sonic got locked in a mall overnight. She must have heard the story before, but she still giggles at all the appropriate times and seems glad for the distraction. Once Manic leaves them, the silence becomes thick. Amy seems to retreat into her thoughts. Shadow again notices the bags under her eyes.

“Are you alright?” he asks.

Amy gives him a weak smile in response. “Yeah, I'm fine. Or, I will be. It's just been a long day.”

Shadow nods, but it doesn't feel like enough. “Do you want to talk about it?” he tries, and Amy sighs.

“If it's alright with you, I'd rather not.” Shadow nods again, but the following silence feels oppressive. “How about you tell me what you meant this morning, instead?” Shadow stares at her, prompting her to speak up again. “About Sonic. Why you called him a faker, and what you guys talked about in the woods?”

Shadow swallows. Truthfully, he'd known what she was getting at, but... he looks away. “I don't think that's a good idea, Amelia.”

“Please?”

“Now really isn't the best time,” he insists, wondering what he's doing. He wants to tell her—even told Manic he would—but she looks so worn down. Is it even his place to tell her?

“Shadow....”

No, no, he has to. She deserves to know, and if not now, then when? “You're not going to like it,” he warns her. She nods and he sighs. “Sonic doesn't love you romantically.” Amy winces as if the words are a physical blow, but doesn't look all that surprised. “He's been letting you believe you have a chance with him because he doesn't want to hurt you, but he has no desire to be your boyfriend.” She sniffles, bringing her hands up to wipe away her tears, but ultimately covering her face in her hands. She keeps walking, but her shoulders are shaking and he hears muffled sobs. After a moment of hesitation, Shadow wraps an arm around her shoulders, partially to comfort her and partially to make sure she doesn't trip over anything. He's surprised when she leans into the embrace instead of pushing him away. He's even more surprised when, after a few minutes, she takes her hands from her face, clasping his hand with one and wrapping the other around his waist, to lean her head more comfortably against his shoulder as they walk.

“Thank you,” she whispers as they approach her building.

Shadow swallows. “You're not mad?”

She makes a sound that's half laugh, half sob. “Shadow, people are dying all around me. The city is ruined, and my life will never be the same again. I _wish_ Sonic leading me on was the worst thing I had to face today.”

Shadow's heart clenches at the broken tone in Amy's voice, and he squeezes her tighter, stopping in front of the building and crushing her into his chest with both arms in a desperate effort to force the broken bits back together, to make her the same infuriatingly bubbly girl he'd met on that first afternoon of tutoring. She buries her face in his neck, clinging to him, and lets herself cry. They stay like that for a long time. Eventually she falls asleep in his arms and he can't bring himself to wake her again if she's tired enough to fall asleep on her feet, leaving him with the awkward task of lifting her and carrying her up ten flights of stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as I've mentioned before, this version of my fic is a re-write of the original version, which I started writing in 2011 and was posting on ff.net between 2013 and 2016. Now, when I first wrote this chapter's argument between Sonic and Shadow back in... 2014? I never would have guessed that people being upset about having to stay inside would one day be relevant. It's strange how these things work out.
> 
> Anyways, to everyone reading, commenting, and leaving kudos: you are making a bad situation so much more better for me, thank you. And for those reading but not commenting or leaving kudos, I appreciate you as well. I'm honoured that anyone is giving my work their attention. Thank you for your time.


	9. Chapter 8 - I see the chaos for everyone, who are we? What can we do?

Thursday, November 25th, 7:49am, Amy's room

To say Amy is disoriented when she wakes up is an understatement. Sure, she's in her own bed—she usually sleeps in her own bed—but she can't remember getting here. Well, she can, but not… _here_. She remembers going to sleep at the hospital, on the floor. She remembers being woken up by Shadow, but there's a fuzzy, dream-like quality to those memories. If she weren't in bed, she'd swear she dreamt it all: the walk home, Shadow telling her that her relationship is a lie, him holding her as she cried. She remembers how solid his arms felt around her, the way his scent had enveloped her. She frowns because, despite the evidence to the contrary, she's still half convinced it was a dream.

Shadow isn't in the hall when she leaves her room. He's not in the sitting room either, nor the kitchen. She doesn't find him until she pokes her head into her parents’ room, where he's fast asleep in a cocoon of blankets despite being exposed to the elements by way of the broken glass wall. She decides to leave him and wanders back downstairs to the kitchen. She wonders what time it is, and where Cream and Vanilla have gotten to. The answer to the latter question comes in the form of a note on the fridge.

_Heard our school has been turned into a makeshift_

_shelter. Went to help out._

_-Cream_

Amy feels a lump form in her throat. Cream is trying so hard to help out; to keep busy and distracted. Amy can understand that; keeping busy means not having to think about the losses. So many losses. So many. She'd seen the hurt in Cream's eyes and posture, knew her friend was feeling the losses too. Cream, who always has a smile, whose tiny frame seems too small for her massive heart. There's something _wrong_ about Cream not being happy, but Amy can't think about that right now. She _can't_. She needs to do something. Last night she'd spent hours crying for the lost; she'd wasted enough time.

She hears the distinct sound of the power coming on and knows that now isn't the time for tears, now is the time for... breakfast. Yes. Yes, Amy will make breakfast for herself and Shadow, and then they can go help out at the school.

She’s gathering supplies as Shadow wanders into the kitchen. His hair is a mess and he looks even more disgruntled than usual. Despite his clear desire to be back in bed, he manages a polite 'good morning' when he sees her.

“I take it you're not a morning person,” Amy teases as he makes a beeline for the electric kettle, earning a grunt and a dirty look. Right. “What 'cha looking for?” she asks as he rifles through the cupboard. He finds some black tea and holds it up triumphantly before looking for something else. “Do you even know where we keep our mugs?” This time, he responds with a shrug. She lets out an irritated puff of air. “Really, Shadow, I can't see why you have so few friends. You're such a sterling conversationalist.”

Shadow snorts at that, and she takes the way his lips quirk into a momentary smile as a victory. “So, where are the others?” he asks as she chops up an apple.

“Volunteering at the school. Apparently it's being converted into a shelter? I guess they need to take their minds off-” No, best not to think about that. It's done, over. There is nothing to do about the people who are already gone, but if she goes to the school maybe she can help those who aren't. She needs a distraction, she needs to _help_ , she needs-

Amy muffles a curse as blood wells up from her finger. The cut stings fiercely and reminds her of the hospital. There'd been a lot of blood yesterday....

Shadow is at her side in a heartbeat. “Pay attention to what you're doing,” he scolds as he examines her finger, ignoring the red staining his hands. “Do you have anything I can clean this with?”

“Ah, I can manage. I need a shower anyways, so I'll clean it then hop in. Can you finish breakfast?”

He frowns. “The water could be contaminated,” he warns. “You shouldn't drink it or get it in any open wounds. Honestly, you're probably better off skipping it altogether.”

Amy considers, but....

“I need to shower,” she tells him, and thankfully he drops it.

As the water runs over her, Amy can't stop her hands from shaking. True, she just sliced her finger open, but that has nothing to do with it. Last night she'd still been pretty numb to the events of the day; it hadn't really sunk in before she'd gone to sleep, but it's all beginning to hit her now. It's too much. The pain, the suffering, the death.

It seemed like such a good idea when she'd volunteered to stay with Bunnie. Only, how could she sit there when she was surrounded by so many overworked nurses? They weren't even getting paid for their time, not really. Everyone was working because it was the right thing to do, and Amy was just sitting there. So, she asked if she could help.

It seemed like such a good idea.

There were so many people: stretchers lined the walls and every seat and bed was taken. Everywhere she looked was suffering. People covered in bruises and burns, some with bandages soaking through. This was the closest intact hospital to the blast, the closest one that still had its generators and solar panels. Seeing all those people, though, was awful. Still, Amy was going to help.

She’d just wanted to help people.

Over the course of her day there, Amy changed more bandages than she could count, cleaned more wounds than she had ever imagined would be in one place, and helped more strangers use the washroom than she cared to admit. She also took notes, grabbed supplies, and was taught how to administer an IV. And all of that would have been fine if it weren't for the bodies. The morgue was full up, but people were still dying. They were being piled in the basement, crammed away from the living to free up space. She'd recognized some. Most prominently, she recognized her father. After seeing his body dumped with the others, she'd gone numb.

Eventually she was so bone weary that she returned to Bunnie and laid down on the floor, falling asleep almost instantly and losing herself in blessed, blessed darkness.

The feeling of something warm and soft enveloping her snaps Amy from her memories, and when she looks up her eyes lock with Shadow's. He's wrapping a towel around her shoulders, and she can't even begin to decipher the emotions on his face.

Thursday, November 25th, 8:27am, Amy's kitchen

Shadow's desire to do something gets the better of him, so it’s not long after he finishes cooking for himself that he gets busy cleaning the condo. First, he tidies all the dishes into a nice pile, then he works on clearing more of the debris in the dining room. When the power goes, he expects Amy to get out of the shower. She doesn't. Eventually the water stops running, but there's still no sign of her. He considers continuing to tidy, but....

Steeling his nerves, Shadow heads upstairs to her en-suite and tentatively knocks on the door. “Amelia? Is everything alright?” No answer. He waits a minute before knocking a bit louder. “Amelia? It's Shadow. What's going on?” Still no answer. Dread grows in his stomach. This time when he knocks it's hard enough to crack the wood. “Amy,” he calls again, much louder than before. “I'm coming in. Don't say I didn't warn you.” He gives her another thirty seconds to respond before opening the door.

There, sitting in the shower, is Amy, her arms wrapped around her legs and her forehead on her knees. She's shaking so hard he can see it, and does not seem at all aware of his presence. Shadow swallows. This is... uncomfortable.

“Amy?” She hiccups at the sound of her name, but doesn't look up. Shadow has no idea what to do. He steps further into the bathroom, notices that the taps are still on even though no water's coming out. He opens the door, reaches past her to turn them off. The metal is cold in his hand. After that, he glances around and spots a fluffy, pink towel hanging on the rack. He wraps it around her shoulders, very careful not to look at her. The contact prompts Amy to move, and she slowly lifts her head from her knees. Her eyes lock with his, and Shadow can't stop the heat that threatens to sear away his cheeks. He hasn't done anything wrong, but it still feels like he's been caught doing something sinful.

“Shadow?” she croaks, and it barely sounds like anything. Her eyes are red and puffy from crying, and she's shivering violently.

“You're freezing,” he tells her, reaching forward to pull the towel a bit tighter. “You need to dry off and get into some clothing. Do you think you can manage on your own?”

She blinks slowly, then nods. “Yeah, I think so.”

He heaves a small sigh of relief as he steps back from the shower and turns away. He's so aware of her presence that he can practically feel her slowly get to her feet and awkwardly step out of the shower, feel her pull the towel tighter, feel the way her legs wobble beneath her. He glances back before he can think better of it, but diverts his gaze upwards, lest anything slip and reveal itself.

“Are you sure you’re good, or would you like a hand walking to your room?” He hates that part of him hopes for the latter, for an opportunity to hold her again like he had last night. Really, if he were to pull her close right now, he could say he was just trying to warm her.

He's relieved when she says she can do it on her own, even as disappointment curdles in the back of his throat.

Thursday, November 25th, 9:17am, Amy's kitchen

After getting dressed, Amy makes her way to the kitchen, where she finds Shadow sitting on the counter. His expression is the same one he'd worn when wrapping the towel around her shoulders: concern in his eyes, mixed with what looks like guilt set into his shoulders. Except, why would he feel guilty? She crosses the room and places her hand on his. “Are you alright?”

Shadow flinches at the contact and curses. He wraps her hand in both of his and attempts to rub some warmth into it. “You're freezing, Amelia.”

“I'm fine,” she protests, but doesn't pull her hand away. His skin is nice; warm and surprisingly soft. He feels safe. At some point, Amy's skin warms up and Shadow stops rubbing her hand but doesn't let it go. His brow is furrowed and he seems a thousand miles away. Amy doesn't want to disrupt him, but her stomach’s growling like a caged animal.

“Ah, Shadow?” He blinks, returning to himself and dropping her hand. He adopts his usual closed off expression, but Amy isn’t intimidated this time; she knows his cold exterior is a ruse. “Did you finish making breakfast? And, uh, did you read Cream's note?”

He nods. “Yes, to both. Though, you also told me where she went, even if I hadn't read the note.”

“Ah, right. Then, after we eat, would you walk me to the school? I’d like to help out. I know you're probably busy with your own things, but I'd appreciate the company.”

“I'd planned on heading over after breakfast, actually. Someone there might know what's going on.”

Amy frowns. “You mean, other than the aftermath of some sort of attack?”

He hesitates. “Yes, but I think it would be best if you forget I said anything.”

“You do realize that just makes me more curious, right?”

“Amelia, please.” His expression is somewhere between its usual detachment and a quiet urgency she's never seen in him, and in light of everything, it scares her.

She hesitates because she hates being left out, but in the end she nods. “Alright Shadow, I trust you.”

Perhaps it's Amy's imagination, but Shadow doesn't look very happy about that. “Thank you.”

They make their way to the school in relative silence, both distracted by their own thoughts. In Amy's case, she’s focused on the dawning realization that Shadow has now seen her naked. Her! _Naked_! That is just too many levels of not okay! She may not be entirely sure how much he'd seen, or even if he'd actually seen anything, but just the idea of it makes her want to curl up and disappear. She can't tell if his acting like nothing happened makes it better or worse. A covert glance at him doesn't help make up her mind, and without meaning to, her glance turns into a stare.

“What's on your mind?” Shadow asks, eyeing her curiously.

Amy's cheeks feel ready to burst into flame. “Ah, I was... I just... Um. It's nothing.”

“Somehow I have trouble believing that.” His voice sounds just as flat as it usually does, but Amy notices the colour flooding his cheeks. Okay, so it was definitely better when he seemed unaffected. Amy spends the rest of the walk trying her hardest to pretend she's walking with anyone else.

As soon as they enter the school, all embarrassment fades. It's not nearly as crowded as the hospital, but there is still activity everywhere: the halls are relatively clear, but every classroom has people milling about. The front office is by far the busiest room, though. There are less people than in the classrooms, but everyone is doing something. At first, no one even notices Shadow and Amy, as focused as they are on their current tasks. After a minute, though, someone sitting at the front desk comparing various lists looks up.

“Oh, hello. Are you here to help?” He looks like he's been awake for far too long.

“Ah, yeah,” Amy says. Shadow just nods.

“Alright, good. Just...,” he rifles through the papers on the desk for a moment before producing a pair of school maps that have some hastily scribbled notes on them. “Work wherever you think you'd be the most helpful. We need everything.”

Nearly every room has been given a new purpose. The theatre is now a secondary infirmary, the cafeteria now a soup kitchen. The gym and a large portion of the classrooms have been converted into sleeping areas. Amy points out that Cream and Vanilla are probably helping in the cafeteria.

Shadow nods. “I think I'm going to have a look around and see where I could be the most useful,” he says, pocketing his map. He turns to go but Amy reaches out to catch his sleeve.

“Ah, Shadow?” He turns back to raise an eyebrow at her. “Are you, um, going to be staying with me again tonight?”

He opens his mouth to respond, but seems to think better of it and shakes his head instead. “I shouldn't impose.”

Amy doesn't understand why the answer disappoints her, when not even thirty minutes ago she'd wanted to be as far from him as possible, but it does.

“You wouldn't be imposing,” she hastens to assure him. “You could stay every night, and it wouldn't be an imposition!”

His eyes widen almost imperceptibly, and she feels her pulse take off. While what she said is true, it's not the sort of thing you say to people. That kind of talk makes people uncomfortable, and she just knows that her words have driven Shadow off. Any second, he's going to tell her that he has somewhere else to be, or that really he's fine, or something else to let her down gently, and then he'll head off and they'll never speak again. She knows it. She came on too strong and made everything awkward, like she always does, and there's no coming back from it. Really, it was silly to think she could be friends with Shadow anyway. He'd already told her that she's too excitable, too unfocused....

“Perhaps you feel that way,” Shadow concedes after the most awkward moment in the history of ever, refusing to meet her eyes, “but there's still Cream and Vanilla's feelings to consider.”

“I'm sure they wouldn't mind either,” she insists, even though she should be letting this go while she still has some dignity. But, Cream and Vanilla are good people, and it's not as if he can go home. She doesn't know why, but there's probably a good reason for it. So, really, he should stay with her. “Where else would you go?”

Shadow hesitates. “I could probably stay with Manic. Or Rouge. Or I could stay here.” From the twist of his lips, it's obvious he finds all of those options at least a little bit distasteful.

“I'd, ah, really rather you didn't stay with Manic, if it's all the same to you.”

“Oh?” His voice is think with scorn, and the tilt of his head screams haughty disapproval. She can't blame him, though; who is she to tell him where he can and cannot stay?

“You and Sonic nearly came to blows after spending less than five minutes together,” she points out. “Do you really think you could stay in the same house at him for an entire night?”

He gives her a hum of acknowledgement and drops the haughty posture to rest his chin on his hand. “No, I suppose there would be no avoiding a fight if I were to stay there for an extended period of time.”

“Right, so that leaves me, Rouge, and here. Except Rouge lives in that big mansion and it's probably a prime target for looters.”

Shadow gives Amy a considering look as his lips curve into the smallest of smirks. “I suppose you also have a reason against staying here?”

“It's… very crowded? I mean, there's no way you'd get a room to yourself, and you hate people. At least at my place there are only three people, and I'm pretty sure you don't actually hate any of us.”

“Amelia,” he chides, “if I didn't know better, I'd think you actually _want_ me to stay with you.” His tone is teasing, but it causes her to blush.

“And what if I do?” She asks in a soft voice, biting her lip and unable to meet his eyes.

It's Shadow's turn to blush. “I shouldn't. It's not... it wouldn't be....” He swallows twice, pushing his free hand through his hair. “Does it really even matter where I stay?”

“Of course it does!” Amy insists, and his eyes swing back from their intent survey of the ceiling, narrowing and pinning her with a disbelieving look.

“Why?” he demands, and she barely stops herself from flinching.

“Because I'll worry if I don't know where you are, or if you’re safe,” she answers, even though she'd told him this yesterday.

“But... why?”

“Shadow,” she starts in what she hopes is a soft yet firm tone of voice, “I'll worry because you're my friend. If you had any sense, you'd know that.” She tries to convey her seriousness through her eyes, willing him to get it through his incredibly thick skull.

“How can I be your friend?” he asks, “You barely know me.”

She shakes her head. “Maybe, but I know you well enough to know that I like you. You're brave, and kind, and honest. You've been a huge comfort while the world has fallen apart around me. How could I not consider you my friend?” Her face feels hot and her palms feel sweaty, but she resists the urge to look away or hide. How can she make him understand?

“I haven't tried to be your friend,” he protests.

Amy can't stop the small huff of laughter from escaping. “Friendship isn't something you _try_ to do, silly. It's just something you _do_. If you care about someone and are there when they need you, you're their friend.”

“But, I don't care,” he tells her, but the response sounds automatic.

“Well, you could have fooled me last night, after you told me-”

Last night, when she'd found out that Sonic never loved her and had just been leading her on, playing her. She lets go of Shadow's sleeve so she can wrap her arms around herself. She tries not to think of Sonic. His betrayal should be nothing in the face of her day at the hospital, and yet.…

No, bad thoughts. She shouldn't think about the hospital, either. Why think about things she can't change? If she weren't so useless then maybe... no. No, she'd done everything she could. Except, it wasn't enough, it would never be enough. She could work herself raw day in and day out for all eternity and it would never replace all the lives lost. Nothing could ever make this right....

Red. Vivid crimson eyes fill her vision, recalling her to the present. Without noticing, Amy had begun to cry again, and now Shadow is right in her face, gently thumbing her tears away and murmuring reassurances. “Hey, hey, hey, hey, shh. I'm sorry that I've upset you, Amelia. Please don't cry.” He leans in close, talking softly so that only she can hear him. They're so close that Amy would barely have to move to catch his lips with her own.

As soon as the thought crosses her mind, she steps back, breaking eye contact as she does so. Where had _that_ come from? It was a silly thought, especially when directed at Shadow. Not only has he never shown any interest in her, but she was literally just crying about Sonic. Sure, Shadow’s a perfect gentleman—most of the time—and he's easy to talk to, and- No! No. Now isn't the time. And even if it were, he isn't interested in her and she is definitely not interested in him, and that's _that_.

“I'm sorry I'm so weak,” Amy whispers, staring shamefully at her feet.

“You're not weak,” Shadow argues, voice laced with confusion.

“No, I am,” she insists. “I'm so scared I have to constantly resist the urge to curl into a ball and cry. I'm terrified, and I don't know what's going on, and I'm just… weak.” It hurts to admit it to someone who's so strong, but it's the truth. “I'm weak, and useless, and a coward.”

“Being scared doesn't make you weak,” Shadow tells her. “Neither does crying. The fact that you keep going despite being so scared is a testament to your strength, if anything.”

Amy knows he's being too kind, but the words do help her feel a little better. The silence stretches on, until Shadow breaks it by clearing his throat. When she looks up, his face betrays no sign of the conversation they'd just had.

“If the offer still stands,” he says as if they hadn't just had an intense, friendship affirming conversation. “I think I'd like to stay with you.”

She can't stop herself from grinning and throwing her arms around his neck. “Thank you!” He tenses up, and she steps back before he has to pry her off. “I should find Cream,” she says as she feels yet another wave of heat passing through her cheeks. “Find me in the infirmary when you're ready to go?” She waits only long enough for him to nod before scurrying off down the hall, leaving him standing there all dark mystery and confidence, while she's left trying to hide the embarrassment just now kicking in from saying all those things to him. She must seem like such a fool, if he had any idea what had briefly crossed her mind....

No matter. Amy has more important things to worry about, like finding Cream.

Cream, as it turns out, is exactly where Amy predicted, working hard in the cafeteria with Vanilla and some others. There seems to be plenty of help here, but Amy had expected as much.

“Amy!” Cream exclaims, catching sight of her. “I'm glad you came, I wasn't sure if you'd gotten the note when you didn't show up last night. Is Mr. Shadow here too?” Her small voice sounds much closer to normal than it had yesterday, and Amy can't help her resulting smile. No wonder, though; Cream always loved to cook, and helping others gives her a good way to take her mind off things and feel useful.

“Yeah, Shadow's around too. He's going to be staying with us for a while, I think.”

Cream's eyes widen at that. “Really? Mama and I were thinking the four of us should stay here, since it'll make it easier to help out, and there are better generators. Mr. Shadow might even find his family here, too!”

Amy swallows. “Ah, that's a good idea, but... umm.”

But what? The points Cream raises are all valid, and the school is in better shape than the condo. But if they stayed here, would she still be able to talk so intimately with Shadow? Not that he's the only reason against staying at the shelter. There's also the matter of getting to sleep in her own bed, and being in a familiar environment. Plus, it's less crowded at home, and all her clothes and toiletries are there. Really, there are so many reasons to go back home tonight and besides, why take up space someone who has nowhere to go might need?

“I'm sorry, Cream, I just don't think I'd be able to sleep here. I'll be back every day, though. If you want, you could give me a list of things to bring you and Vanilla tomorrow.”

Cream nods, but her smile has dimmed a touch. “Of course. But, I should get back to work. Talk to you later, Amy.”

Thursday, November 25th, 10:13am, Station Square Academy

Shadow tries to ignore the pounding in his heart as he watches Amy walk away. She actually wants him to stay with her? She'll worry if she doesn't know where he is? She likes him? Sure, those things were all nice to hear, but they shouldn't be affecting him the way they are. Certainly they shouldn't have made him give in so easily. True, part of him already wanted to stay another night, but still. Pretty eyes and pleasant words never worked for Rouge when she wanted him to do something, so why did they work so well for Amy? It's not okay for him to be staying with her, not with G.U.N. after him. Why is he being so selfish? Is it because of how vulnerable she was earlier this morning?

Thinking of this morning is a mistake, of course, and the anxious way his stomach lurches in memory makes him more than a little nauseous. He can't help but remember her face, wide-eyed and framed by hair that left little streams of water to mix with her tears. When he'd wrapped the towel around her shoulders, he'd felt just how violently she shook. And then she'd come out and asked if he was okay, as if that were the most important thing in the world. For all Shadow knows, to her in that moment, it was.

Still, her breakdown had caught him completely off guard. She'd seemed fine last night, and even for a bit in the kitchen. It hadn't been until she was alone that she'd fallen apart.

Alone....

But, she has Cream and Vanilla; they can keep her company. Maybe he should have walked her to her destination.

“Mr. Shadow?”

Shadow glances up, startled to realize that he'd wandered into the cafeteria. Still, best not to be rude. He nods to Cream in greeting. “Amelia said you'd probably be here, I just wanted to make sure she found you okay.” It's close enough to the truth.

“Ah, of course! Amy just left, actually. Are you going to volunteer too?”

He nods, figuring now's as good a time as any to start finding answers. “Perhaps you could direct me to where I'd be the most useful? But first, could you help put my nerves to rest?” He tries to make his expression look embarrassed, but the emotion is one he's always worked hard to avoid so he’s not sure he succeeds.

Cream seems caught off guard by the request, but she nods decisively. “I can try. What's wrong?”

Shadow picks his words carefully. “I've heard some, ah, unsettling rumours. I was wondering if you could lend me your opinion on them.”

“Oh, sure thing! What did you hear?”

“Apparently G.U.N. units have been stationed outside some civilian houses since the bombing?”

Cream starts. “Oh, goodness! That certainly is unsettling! But, I don't think there's any basis to it. The only thing I've heard about G.U.N. is that they're currently working to keep us safe.” Her smile is clearly meant to be reassuring, but her words make his stomach sink. It's just his house? Or have they already captured people from other houses? Regardless, he'll have to be careful about the questions he asks if no one else has mentioned it.

“Right. Thank you, Cream. Do you know which areas need the most help?”

Her face scrunches up for a moment as she thinks about it. “The infirmary always needs more volunteers, and I heard someone asking for more hands in the shop class.”

“I'll try the shop class,” he decides. If they need engineers that will be a good way for him to ease some of the tension from the last few days, if only for a little while.

“Alright! Last I heard they were trying to rig up a man-powered generator, since there's only so much fuel for the current generator.”

Shadow nods. That seems like a good use for his talents.

Thursday, November 25th, 10:16am, Station Square Academy

Amy hesitates a moment before entering the theatre, but surely it won't be as bad as the hospital. It _can’t_ be. The memories threaten to overwhelm her, but she needs to be strong. Swallowing her growing nausea, she pushes the door open. It can't be as bad.

Inside she catches sight of the school nurse, who approaches with tired eyes and a warm smile. “Miss Rose, right? How can I help you?”

“Actually, I was wondering if I could help you.”

The warmth in her smile seems to grow. “We could always use more hands,” she answers. “I have just the job for you.”

And just like that, Amy is swiftly led to the stage where a bunch of desks have been set up as makeshift beds for those who can't sit while they're tended to. One patient is an older man with a haggard expression and haunted eyes. His peach hair has wisps of white throughout and long years have creased his face.

“Mr. Schmitz? This is Amy Rose. She'll be keeping you company while we tend your leg. If you need anything, you ask her, alright?”

The old man smiles, though it doesn't reach his eyes. “Of course. It's a pleasure to meet you, Amy.”

For her part, Amy is more than a little surprised. Surely there's something more important she can do? “And you as well, Mr Schmitz. Is there anything I can do to help you? Anything you need?”

The nurse's voice is low and she speaks quickly to Amy. “For now, just talk to him, keep his mind off what we're doing. His leg is infected and the best we can offer is Tylenol. He's going to need a distraction while we clean it out and close it up.”

Despite the nurse’s efforts at quietude, Mr. Schmitz snorts at her words. “I appreciate the concern, but this isn't my first rodeo. Still, if you insist on making her dote on an old man, I suppose I can tell her the stories my grandchildren grew sick of hearing years ago.” The nurse gives him a look before checking over her supplies.

In spite of his words of bravery, Mr. Schmitz is barely able to suppress a wince at the first tentative inspection of his leg, and Amy immediately pulls over a nearby chair and grabs his hand.

“I would love to hear your stories, sir.” Hopefully talking is enough to distract from the pain.

By Amy's reckoning, Mr. Schmitz is either a very creative storyteller, or his life has been an extremely interesting one. According to him, he ran away from home at thirteen and lied about his age to enlist in the military at fifteen. He always suspected that everyone knew he was lying, but they'd let him stay anyways. He'd served nearly fifteen years before they'd sent him to the Space Colony ARK, which was apparently his final deployment before he resigned. It sounded like he planned to gloss over that story, but Amy’s never heard of such a place, and so she asks him about it.

According to Mr. Schmitz, the Space Colony ARK was the most advanced research facility of its kind, where the most brilliant minds of mankind had been sent to discover ways to better their race. One of the scientists in particular caught Amy's attention: Gerald Robotnik, very likely related to the man currently terrorizing the city, and leader in the field of genetic modification. He'd been researching immortality. In the end, though, his research had gotten out of hand and they'd had to forcibly shut down all projects on the ARK.

An interesting story, for sure, but not something Amy feels inclined to believe. She lets him move on to his life after the military until the nurse says she's done with his leg, meaning it's time for him to rest. She tells Amy to put a cool, damp cloth on his head and then go around asking the other patients if they need anything.

“Be sure to check back on Mr. Schmitz regularly,” the nurse continues. “Out of everyone here, he's in the worst shape. Old fool should have gone to the hospital.”

While Amy works, she thinks back to Mr. Schmitz' story. A government facility in space dedicated to researching immortality? It's wild! How could he expect anyone to believe such nonsense? Then again, it keeps putting a smile on her face, so maybe he doesn't.

Thursday, November 25th, 10:41am, Station Square Academy

Once Shadow gets to the shop room, all thoughts of asking questions dissipate. There are only three other people in the room, making it an ideal work atmosphere for him. He quickly loses himself in his generator, figuring out the perfect way to adjust it into something that can be powered by a human being. As usual, working monopolizes his concentration, and he barely notices when food is shoved into his hands some hours later, or when other people come and go from the area. When the sun sets, he doesn't notice at all. It isn't until someone physically pulls at him that he comes back to reality.

“You'll work yourself to death, hon',” a motherly looking redhead tells him as she gently attempts to remove the tools from his hands. He recognizes her as one of the original occupants of the room.

Shadow frowns at the woman. “I'm fine,” he tells her, and she laughs. This time her attempt to remove the tools from his hands is much firmer.

“I reckon it's nearly midnight. You'll do no one any good if you don't get some sleep. B'sides, hon', they're turning the generator off for the night.”

Shadow's more than a little taken aback at that. Nearly midnight? Has he really been working that long? He swallows and suspects that Amy is not going to be very happy when he finds her.

He enters the infirmary and searches for her. She's sitting next to an older man with whispy, peach-coloured hair, and Shadow isn't sure if he should approach. Luckily, Amy catches sight of him pretty quickly and says a quick goodbye before hastening to his side.

“Sorry to keep you,” he greets, and she shakes her head.

“That's okay,” she says, “it gave me plenty of time to say goodnight to Cream and Vanilla.”

That gives him pause. After a moment, he asks, “Why didn't you head back with them?”

“Oh, ah, they're staying here tonight, actually. They gave me a list of things to bring them in the morning.”

He frowns, holding the door open as he voices his next thought. “If they're staying then why aren't you?”

She blushes at that, and for the life of him he can't figure out why. “Ah, I'd feel bad taking up space someone else might need when I have a bed not far from here. They wouldn't be staying either, except they've been on their feet since sun-up, and intend to spend even longer helping out tomorrow.”

“Your friends are very generous,” Shadow murmurs, feeling like he should probably reply with _something_. Amy nods in agreement.

The walk back to the condo is spent in relative silence. Things look fairly normal in this part of town, and it's easy to pretend that nothing happened while they walk. At least, for Shadow it is. Amy keeps looking down and fidgeting, alternating between playing with the drawstrings on her sweater, twirling a strand of hair up near her ear, and tapping her fingers against her thigh in a light, uneven rhythm. Shadow wants to take her hands in his own, run his thumb along her palms and fingers until the restlessness is soothed away. It's a strange desire, and doesn't help the already confused feelings her presence causes.

Every now and then, they hear strange noises off in the distance that cause Amy to jump and grab his arm, but she always lets go and steps away before he can react. That doesn't help, either. Still, it's a nice night. Under different circumstances, he might have even found the walk pleasant, since there are very few people out at this hour and the air is crisp. The stars are out in force and it's very tempting to grab his friend—she'd told him they're friends, and Shadow wants less and less to change that—and lead her off into the night. But no. It's late, and dangerous, and giving in to the part of himself that craves adventure always leads to unnecessary trouble.

“Well,” Amy sighs once they reach the building. “We're here.”

Shadow raises an eyebrow at that. “I never would have guessed,” he drawls, and she flushes a deep pink.

The building is dark when they enter, quiet and still in the way that their world has become outside of the hum of generators. It makes everything feel dangerous, and Shadow isn't surprised when Amy starts to walk a bit closer. He passes her his flashlight, and she leads them to the stairwell. They ascend through the inky void in silence. The flashlight can only do so much, and Amy sighs out her relief when they finally reach the correct floor.

Once inside, she heads straight for the fridge. “I don't know about you, but I couldn't sleep if I tried. Do you want some milk?”

“If it hasn't gone bad yet, then sure,” he replies as he makes his way for the cupboards and gets them each a glass.

She leans against the counter and he wonders if the rest of their night will be spent in this awkward silence. He tries to think of a way to break it when she speaks up again.

“I heard an interesting story today,” she tells him, and it's a better start than he could have come up with.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I was helping the head nurse with an old man claiming to be a former G.U.N. agent, and he told me a bunch of wild stories.”

Well, that certainly piques Shadow's interest. “What kind of stories?” He hopes he doesn't sound too eager; it's a long shot, but if this man mentioned anything at all that could explain what's going on now....

Amy tells Shadow about Mr. Schmitz' youth; about how he ran away from home and went on all sorts of adventures before joining the military, about the shenanigans he supposedly got into. They drink their milk slowly as they talk, neither one of them ready to go to bed. Eventually she says something that catches his attention.

“Wait, what was that name?” Shadow asks, going to take a sip of his drink only to find the cup empty.

Amy's face scrunches up like it always does when she's trying to remember something verbatim. “Ah, I think it was called the Space Colony ARK?” Shadow doesn't know why the name sounds so familiar. “He claimed it was some sort of advanced research facility, but can you imagine? Scientists living in space, looking for the key to immortality?” She's not speaking so much as laughing as she says it. “It sounds like the plot of a terrible sci-fi movie!”

The laughter bubbles out and over, shaking her entire body and causing her to clutch her sides from the force of it. Seeing her laughing like that is enough to drive whatever thought had tickled Shadow's mind away, and when her laughter causes her to slip off the counter and onto the floor, he can't help but laugh himself, earning an indignant glare from Amy.

And then they're both laughing, clutching their sides and gasping for breath. It eases up and they seem calm again, but they make eye contact and another wave hits them. It's the kind of laughter born in stressful situations, when the bad hits you blow after blow, until you're so overwhelmed and full of pent up emotion that there's no place for your feelings to go but out. It's desperate. Hysterical. Cathartic. All it had taken was this one tiny thing that wouldn't even be funny under normal circumstances, but here and now, it's a life raft. Yes, bad things are happening, the world is falling apart and their lives will never be the same, but there are still old men who exaggerate their stories to a ridiculous degree, and there are still friends who laugh so hard at stupid things that they end up gasping for air on the floor.

Eventually, Shadow is able to calm himself enough to attempt to help Amy up, but when he holds out his hand she pulls him onto the floor with her, and his shocked expression causes another fit of laughter. They stay on the floor like that for way too long, laughing at nothing. When it finally subsides, they're left in silence, but it's not oppressive like before. It's pleasant, comfortable. There's a warmth to it that Shadow quite likes.

Amy's breathing slows from ragged gasping to the gentle rhythm of sleep, and Shadow deeply considers letting himself fall asleep on the ground next to her. His stomach twists in a mildly pleasant way at the idea of it, and that decides things for him. He forces himself to get up and carry her to her room before retreating across the flat to her parents' room. Sleep takes him within seconds of his head hitting the pillow.


	10. Chapter 9 - Everything I feel seems so unreal. Is it true?

Friday, November 26th, 6:03am, ???

The metallic walls are familiar, but the scenario itself is not. This is definitely where his recurring nightmare takes place, but something about the timing feels off. Shadow is about six or seven this time, colouring at a table with Maria. He wants to ask who she is to him, and where they are, but he can't. He's just a passenger in his own body.

As they colour, a man comes in and if Shadow had control of his body, he wouldn't have been able to hide his surprise. The man is an older version of Dr. Robotnik; not so wide as the man he'd seen on TV, sure, but with the same bushy moustache and prominent nose. Maria grins when she sees him, calls him grandpa, and asks him to come see their pictures.

As the old man approaches, the world flickers.

Shadow stands in an empty room looking out a large window with Maria. From where they are, he can see Earth but he barely notices. This is the same room that has haunted his dreams for years, the room he will never forget. This is where Maria dies. He wants to scream, and vomit, and run.

“What do you think it's like on Earth?” Maria asks him, and he's powerless to warn her.

The world flickers.

Her condition is worsening. Maria lays in the hospital bed, and Shadow can practically see her life force draining away. The doctors don't know he's there so they speak openly. It's only a matter of time....

Flicker.

They're running now, and if Shadow could scream, his throat would be raw. Not this, never this! He wants to yell at his younger self. He's going the wrong way! Shadow, please! Anywhere but there! They enter the room, and Shadow feels the bile rise in his throat. She trips but knowing she would have died anyway doesn't make this easier. And then, suddenly, he can move! He turns around as fast as he can, and he's going to make it! He can change it, fix it, make everything better!

But an invisible force grabs his shoulders and drags him into the centre of the room. He struggles, but the grip is too strong. A tube crashes down around him, and whatever force pulled him back is now preventing him from turning away. He watches the bullets tear through her frail body and he screams, lashing out at whatever it is that holds him.

He falls to the ground grappling his invisible assailant, and metallic walls become soft blue wallpaper, the floor an even softer bed. And the invisible force is-

“Amelia?” His voice is hoarse when he speaks and his cheeks are wet.

“I'm sorry,” she squeaks, her eyes wide and cheeks flushed. A tear splashes down on her face and he realizes that he's over top of her. One of his hands is braced at her side while the other is raised in preparation to strike. “I could hear you from my room,” she tells him, visibly shaken. “You sounded like you were dying, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I'm sorry!” Her words are quick, and her voice trembles. Shadow groans as he pulls away from Amy. He leans against the headboard and rests his arms on his knees, requiring a moment to collect his thoughts and still his heart. “Shadow?” Her voice is tentative as she leans towards him. She tries to peer into his eyes so he closes them, only to regret it immediately as Maria's blood sprays across the backs of his eyelids, startling him into opening them again.

“Did I hurt you?” He tries to sound gentle, but he's too on edge.

She flinches at his tone, but forces a small smile. “No, I'm fine.”

“I scared you, though.” Her smile slips at his observation and it's all the confirmation he needs. He looks to the ceiling. There are still tears in his eyes, should he deign to acknowledge them. “I take it I woke you up?”

She nods. “You were screaming.”

They sit in silence as the sky turns from the inky-dark of night to the muted grey of predawn. Neither of them moves but Amy does eventually break the silence. “Shadow?” she starts, and he makes a noncommittal grunt in acknowledgement. She swallows, and in his periphery he sees her staring down and worrying at a corner of the blanket with her fingers. “Would... could I... do you mind...,” she swallows again, fingers now clenching tight around the blanket. “Do you think I could sleep with you tonight?” she blurts, and he gives her a wide-eyed stare. Oh, a part of him most _certainly_ would not mind that, and his temptation is answer enough.

“It wouldn't be… decent,” he says with as much disapproval as he can muster.

“Not like that!” she clarifies hastily, every visible inch of her turning crimson. He nearly chokes, wondering if his skin is as flushed as hers. Not like that indeed! “It's just,” she twiddles her fingers, “I don't want to be alone right now. I'm scared.” Tears form in her eyes and as she wipes them away, Shadow's resolve crumbles. His entire body is on fire.

He averts his eyes, trying to cling to his last shred of decency. How is it possible that she causes him so much turmoil with absolutely no effort on her part? He's not sure what agitates him more: the idea of sharing a bed with her, or the eagerness he feels at the prospect.

“Shadow?”

He glances back at her. She's trembling and her eyes keep darting around. He sighs, nods, and kicks himself for giving in.

“Thank you!” she gushes, and her relief is almost enough to soothe his frayed nerves. After they settle themselves on opposite sides of the bed, Amy speaks up again. “Do… do you want to talk about it?” she asks. “Your dream, I mean. It sounded bad.” He frowns, but doesn't answer. She tries again. “It's not good to keep things bottled up, you know.”

His heart twists, and for an instant he considers saying something. He buries the urge before he can act on it. After another moment she rolls over and takes his hand.

“I'm here for you, Shadow. I'll help you, if you let me.”

Her small fingers feel nice laced in his but he pulls away, rolling so his back is to her. A lump forms in his throat, but he ignores it. He can't let her in any more than he already has; it wouldn't be right. A part of him argues that he's already endangering her with his presence, so what does it matter? Nothing is right anymore anyway.

She sighs and rolls over. He hopes she's given up for good, but the idea hurts much more than it should.

Friday, November 26th, 7:35am, Amy's parents' room

Amy isn't sure she's ever woken up so cozy before. Her bed has certainly never been this comfy, and she's so _warm_. Her pillow is supremely huggable. She knows she should get up, but she can't even open her eyes yet. When she wakes up, everything will be real again. She'll be scared and sad and helpless. Just thinking about it dampens her mood, but she refuses to lose this moment of tranquility before she absolutely has to. She tightens around her pillow in defiance, fingers slipping under the case to brush against the warm, silky-smooth skin beneath. Her pillow grunts, pulling her tighter into its own arms, and she hears the faint pulse of its heart.

That Amy doesn't register the wrongness of things for a solid minute is a testament to the chaotic nature of the past few days. But pillows don't have arms, or skin, or pulses. They also don't grunt.

Last night rushes back to Amy and she wrenches herself away from her 'pillow', AKA Shadow, AKA the _least_ cuddly person she knows. He stares up at her through half-lidded eyes, making it clear that he isn't fully awake. He looks innocent and sweet, so much so that when he reaches out to her she very nearly lets him pull her back into his arms. Perhaps five more minutes wouldn't be so bad....

No! This is _Shadow_! He's her _friend_ , and he would not appreciate her taking advantage of his half asleep state just to catch a few more minutes of sleep! She gets up and heads to the door. When she looks back, his eyes are closed again and he's pulled her actual pillow, the one she was _supposed_ to be using, into his arms in her place.

Without anything else to do, Amy heads into Cream's unit to gather the things they'd asked for. The suite is a mess of broken objects and singed patches, and it really drives home what a difference Shadow's cleaning made on that first day. She tries to ignore the damage but she very nearly has a breakdown when she sees a photo of Cream's and Amy's families having dinner together, the happy image so wrong in the midst of all the wreckage.

She returns to her condo when the power comes on and Shadow emerges shortly after. The state of his hair is actually impressive: all tangled and twisted, flattened on one side and wild on the other.

“How was your sleep?” she teases, hoping he can't tell that she was just crying. She has to stay positive.

The way the tips of his ears colour makes her own face feel hot. He grunts, gives her a dirty look. “Where are the towels?” he asks. She's glad for the change of topic, even if his lack of 'good morning' is a little rude.

“Each bathroom has its own, the ones down here should be clean.” He nods and heads to the downstairs bathroom. After a minute she hears the water start up and sighs. When Shadow returns to the kitchen, she greets him with a breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast. “When do you want to go back to the school?”

“Actually, I have something I need to do,” he tells her as they eat. “I'll walk you there after we finish, if you'd like.”

Amy frowns. What could he possibly need to do? Shouldn't he have said something yesterday? Or, could it be that this is just an excuse and he's actually avoiding her? Yeah, that's probably it. She was too pushy last night when she'd asked him to talk about his nightmare, and now he doesn't want to spend more time with her than he has to. That _has_ to be it, what else could it be? She's gone and done it again. She's pushed someone away by being too clingy just like she always does. Why does she do this? She should say no. She should tell him that it's fine and walk to school by herself and show him that she's perfectly capable of giving him his space. Yes, that would be best.

Except, that would leave her alone, and she can't be alone. She _can't_.

What should she do? And now he's looking at her, expecting an answer. Shoot, why does he have to be looking at her? And now he's frowning, and his brow is all furrowed. He's probably mad at her for being weird. Any minute now he'll take back his offer and tell her to walk herself. She needs to say something! She needs-

Her thoughts halt in their tracks when Shadow reaches out and thumbs a tear away from her cheek. His brow is still furrowed, and he's still frowning, but he looks as if he wants to say something. Whatever it is he must decide against it because when he leans back all he says is, “If it's all the same to you, I'd rather we left sooner than later.”

She gives him a weak nod and wonders if he'd really wanted to say something, or if, like with Sonic, she’s just projecting.

As they walk, Amy is increasingly aware of the differences around her. True, the school is even further from the impact site than her condo so the damage is minimal, but there's more to it than that. The street is devoid of traffic, and the few cars parked around have been broken into. Then there are the people; very few people are out, and those that are carry themselves in strange ways. No one waves. Most people don't even look at them. Everyone is focused inwards, it seems. Some are slumped over so far it's a wonder they're still standing while they shuffle, barely aware of the world around them. Others have very determined looks on their faces and walk with clear purpose. And then, of course, there are those that are very blatantly breaking into houses and cars. She and Shadow steer clear of those last ones. It's a relief when they get to the school and people actually acknowledge them, even if it's only briefly.

“I'll be back tonight to walk you home,” Shadow tells her, turning to go before she can figure out how to tell him he doesn't need to. With a frown, Amy makes her way to the cafeteria to ask Cream and Vanilla where they want their things. It's super busy when she gets there, though, and Vanilla only pauses long enough to tell Amy to cram what she can into Cream's locker. So much for a reassuring conversation before getting to work, but that's fine. She needs to help, after all. Not helping would be selfish.

When she reaches the theatre, she finds herself tending to Mr. Schmitz again, and he tells her about the time he'd actually seen a Chaos Emerald. The story sure is fun but he really seems to believe it, and Amy wonders if maybe he's losing it. Everyone knows the Chaos Emeralds are just a myth. When she isn't indulging Mr. Schmitz she's running errands for the head nurse: fetching supplies or getting food or noting down symptoms. The day passes slowly, so it's a surprise when she sees Shadow waiting in the doorway.

Friday, November 26th, 10:03am, Station Square Academy

Shadow wastes no time in starting up his hover skates and heading to Manic's after dropping Amy off at the school. Normally he would have brushed his dream off as a product of the story Amy had told him, but it seems a little too coincidental that Robotnik had attacked the city and then G.U.N. had swarmed his house not even a day later. There has to be some sort of connection and he intends to find it. He barely notices how fast he's going, or the startled looks a few people give him as he passes.

When Sonic answers the door, Shadow very much misses the convenience of having a phone.

“What's up, Shads?” he greets, and Shadow really hates the familiarity in his tone.

“Is Manic here?”

The other teen nods. “Uh, yeah. He's in his room.” When he doesn't step out of the way, Shadow raises an eyebrow. “Look, I was, uh... did you, ah, say something to Amy? She hasn't been by since the hospital, and I'm getting worried.”

“I did,” Shadow sneers. “Someone had to.”

Sonic gives him a sharp look. “You had no business telling her!”

Shadow snorts at that. “Right, because you were going to?”

“I was!” Sonic heatedly protests. “Just... Amy's sensitive and she needs to be handled delicately. You probably just told her like it was no big deal, but to her it would’ve been the end of the world.”

Shadow scoffs. “No, to her, _the end of the world as she knows it_ is the end of the world. This is just the realization that she loved and idolized the wrong person. Perhaps you need to stop pushing your own insecurities onto Amelia.”

“What was that?” Sonic demands, hands balling into fists.

“Only the truth,” Shadow taunts. “You're pathetic.”

Sonic lunges at him but Shadow dodges with ease, stepping aside as a smirk plays across his lips. Sonic comes at him again and this time Shadow catches his fist in one hand, using Sonic's own momentum to twist his arm up behind his back. Unfortunately, Shadow underestimated his opponent's speed, and he's wholly unprepared for the swift kick that takes out his legs. He twists as he falls and the two boys land together. They continue to grapple on the ground, rolling around and occasionally getting shots in, until Manic emerges from the house.

“Okay, what the actual fuck?” Manic demands, putting a hand on each boy's shoulder and shoving them apart.

“Your useless brother can't handle the truth,” Shadow snarls as he gets to his feet.

“Why you-” Sonic begins, but Manic gives him a firm shove.

“Bro, _chill_. Do I need to give you each a time out?” The looks he receives are murderous, but something in his expression keeps the fighting teens from starting back up. “Sonic, weren't you going to fly perimeter with Tails?” Sonic nods, there's a stubborn look in his eyes, though. “Then go,” Manic continues. “Fucking leave already.”

The twins lock eyes for a moment, and Shadow can practically feel the wordless conversation between them. Finally Sonic relents. “Yeah, okay. But Shadow? Stay away from Amy. If you hurt her, I'll make sure you regret it.”

Shadow snorts at the threat. He'd like to see Sonic try. He watches Sonic take off down the street with a look of utter contempt. True, even now Shadow can't help but admire the track star's speed, but still. His thoughts are halted by Manic's finger jabbing into his chest, and when he looks, he's surprised at the fire in the wiry teen's eyes.

“You'd better have a good reason for picking a fight,” Manic snaps. “I don't exactly appreciate you beating up my brother.”

“He started it,” Shadow protests automatically.

“Yeah, and I finished it,” Manic retorts.

Part of Shadow wants to shove Manic away, to yell at the other teen and get him out of his face, but he resists. It would be too easy to accidentally hurt him, and Shadow doesn't want that, so he relents. “He didn't appreciate me telling Amelia about their sham of a relationship.”

That gives Manic pause. “Wait, shit, you actually told her?” Shadow nods. “Damn. How’s she holding up?”

“She's a lot stronger than you guys seem to think. She actually thanked me.”

Manic whistles. “Well, that's good. I'm surprised, though. Amy has a scary temper sometimes.” Shadow raises an eyebrow at that. Sure, she can be a bit fiery, but scary? “Dude I'm serious. When we were younger, she used to hit us when we disagreed with her, and one time she kicked me so hard I couldn't breathe properly for an hour. I mean, she was right sorry for that one, but still.”

“I see,” Shadow replies, and Manic nods.

“Yeah. So what's up? I assume you didn't come here to pick a fight.” He says it in his usual relaxed tone, but Shadow doesn't miss the accusation that flashes across his eyes.

“I need to find Dr. Robotnik's base, and then I want you and Rouge to help me break in.”

Manic grins, and the last traces of hostility leave him. “I'm in.”

Does he have no self-preservation instinct? “It will be dangerous,” Shadow points out.

“Bruh, you don't need to try so hard to get me interested, I already said I'm in.”

It takes the rest of the day, but they eventually find the right building. Then they're off to the hospital to persuade Rouge. Once successful, they agree to meet at Manic's in an hour or so to plan their course of action. In the meantime, Shadow goes to see if Amy wants to be walked home. He tells his companions he'll see them soon and speeds off before they can reply.

With the skates, it's a very quick trip from the hospital to the school, and he is incredibly grateful when they don't short out on the way. Again, he finds Amy in the theatre. He waits in the doorway, and as soon as she notices him she excuses herself to come over.

“Oh, I hope you weren't waiting too long. You should have come over, I- wait. Shadow, where did you get this?” Her fingers delicately trace over his lip, where a well-placed blow from Sonic had managed to split it open. He hopes she doesn't feel the way her touch causes him to shiver, and is very glad the rest of Sonic's blows had hit him under his clothes and away from Amy's prying eyes.

“It's nothing,” he assures her. It feels weird talking with her finger against his lip. “Don't concern yourself with it.”

She shakes her head. “At least let me clean it up, okay?”

He frowns. “I still have things I need to do tonight,” he protests. “I-”

“Shadow,” she cuts in. “Please?” She's staring up at him, eyes sparkling like gems the colour of the forest. He nods, and wonders yet again why it's so damned hard to refuse her.

She leads him further into the theatre, quickly finding a reasonably secluded chair near the back. She then approaches a dark haired lady whom Shadow recognizes from around the school. When Amy returns, it’s with a small tray of supplies. First she wets a soft cloth and dabs his lip, then she dabs a cotton ball with some sort of disinfectant and cleans the split. Finally, she spreads a tiny bit of ointment onto the offending injury. He can't help but stare at her eyes the entire time she's working. She seems calm and focused in a way he doesn't often get to see. When she's done, she glances up at him and blushes.

“Try not to poke at it or lick it too much. That cream will promote healing if you leave it there,” she tells him. He nods. “Do you have any other injuries?”

He hesitates. He doesn't want to lie, but he also doesn't want her to worry or ask questions.

“I'm fine,” he tells her, and she snorts.

“You'd say the exact same thing if you were on your death bed,” she teases.

He shrugs. “I just have a few bruises, it's nothing.”

She frowns. “Show me.”

“What?”

“I'd like to see them myself,” she explains.

Shadow grimaces, but Amy has a determined look in her eyes. He wouldn't put it past her to begin unbuttoning his shirt on her own if he doesn't cooperate. When he has the shirt open, she claps a hand to her mouth. He glances down, and feels about as surprised as Amy looks. Honestly, it doesn't look as bad as he’d expected. Sure, there are black and purple bruises all over, but they're just... not that bad, all things considered.

“What happened?” Amy breathes.

“I had a run in with-” he cuts himself off. He had been about to refer to Sonic as her boyfriend, but he isn't really her boyfriend anymore is he? “With Sonic.”

Her expression grows distant, her sparkling eyes now flat. “I see,” she says, and the following silence is thick. Then, she shakes herself and gives Shadow a small smile. “I can't really do anything for these,” she admits, “but at least they don't seem to be bothering you. I'm sorry for giving you a hard time.” As she speaks, she begins doing up the buttons of Shadow's shirt, and the way her fingers brush against his skin feels so nice he's tempted to let her finish. He pulls away and buttons it up himself.

Amy makes to get up, but Shadow catches her shirt sleeve. “I just came back to see if you'd want a walk home now or later. I'm going to be busy for a few more hours and I don't want you to have to wait up for me.”

Amy frowns, chewing her lip as she thinks it over. “I don't really want to be alone,” she admits. “Would you be willing to walk me back here after I get some overnight stuff?”

He nods, and they head off. The walk to her condo is spent in silence, and Amy seems distinctly upset. She smiles whenever she notices him looking, but the smile is wrong somehow. Forced. Eventually, he takes her hand in his, giving it a quick squeeze when she looks at him. This time, the smile seems more natural, and without thinking, he returns it with one of his own. He continues to hold her hand all the way up until her building comes into view, surrounded by G.U.N. agents. He curses himself for not seeing this coming.

Amy stands, transfixed by a sight she'd only ever seen in movies. “I wonder what they're doing here?” Shadow suspects he knows. He tightens his grip on her hand and starts to leave. “What-”

“We have to go,” he hisses, and she frowns.

“Why?” she asks, holding her ground. He hesitates. If he tells her, there's no going back. She'll want to help. If he tells her, it means they really are friends. “Amelia,” he begins. “I....” He doesn't have to tell her. He could just leave her here with no information. Except then she'd definitely ask one of the agents what's going on, and who knows what they'd do. Still....

One of the agents spots them, and Shadow curses his indecision.

“Subject spotted,” he shouts. Then he speaks into what must be a portable radio. “All units to the Twinkle Park area, Project Shadow must be apprehended at all costs.”

That sounds bad. Shadow adjusts his grip to Amy's arm, holding her so tightly that she'll probably bruise, and he prays his fingers don’t slip. “I hope you can run,” he grits out before starting up his hover skates and taking off.

The two of them speed off into the distance, and he marvels at Amy's ability to keep her feet under her. They're racing at breakneck speeds and she's managing to stay more-or-less upright. Within seconds he can hear her gasping for breath, can feel the resistance as her energy wanes, but he just tightens his grip and presses on. He’ll apologize when they're safe. After a few minutes he ducks into a nearby alley, dragging Amy to hide behind a dumpster with him. It isn't the best spot, but she's struggling for air and looks ready to faint, so it'll have to do.

“What... going... on?” she chokes out between gasps.

“I... I'll explain later. We'll, ah, I guess we'll head to Manic's for now.” It's too close to Amy's condo, but it will have to do. If they can sneak in through the back, it should be fine.

Amy shakes her head at that. “Sonic... be there... don't want... see....”

“I'm sorry,” Shadow tells her, and he is. For everything. He wonders how G.U.N. found him. But for now, they have to get going. “Get on my back,” he commands, turning away from her and dropping to one knee. “We need to move.”

When nothing happens, he wonders if she's going to protest. He would in her shoes. She doesn't, though. She complies, and once she's settled, he speeds off again. He can go faster like this, and he recklessly takes full advantage of the opportunity. As they get closer to his friend's house he turns off his skates and starts cutting through yards, keeping to the shadows to minimize the chance of anyone seeing him. Then they reach Manic's backyard, and Shadow knocks on the sliding glass door. He hopes beyond reason that no one saw them.

Friday, November 26th, 9:43pm, Sonic's kitchen

After a long day of flying perimeter with Tails, Sonic is glad to be back in his house. They didn't find anything, but if they just keep looking, they’ll eventually find a way to sneak people out of the city. Sonic still thinks it would be easier to find the scientist and destroy his robots, but Tails insists that finding a way out is a much more efficient plan as far as everyone's safety is concerned.

Despite having no leads, he feels pretty good about the day. Or, at least, most of it. Just thinking about his scuffle with Shadow makes him wince. He's sore all over, and judging by the pain in his chest whenever he breathes in too deeply, he has a bruised rib or worse. Probably not worse, but still. Damn that Shadow, sticking his nose in places it has no business being! Then having the nerve to call Sonic pathetic! Thinking of it gets Sonic's blood going again, but no. No. Today has gone well; Sonic is taking steps to make a difference. He can’t let Shadow ruin his good mood. Shadow may have grossly overstepped, but that's understandable. Things are bad right now, and everyone is on edge.

The plane Sonic and Tails had been working on in the weeks leading up to the explosion—The Tornado—flies much better than expected; Sonic and Tails actually managed to find people in more structurally unsound parts of the city and transport them to safer areas. They'd also seen the wreckage of the parking garage Rouge, Sonia, and Bunnie had been in when the explosion hit. Sonic's stomach turns at the thought, and he tries not to think about his sister, who’s currently in bed with a fever and a headache since she refused to go back to the hospital.

He's just grabbing some leftovers from dinner when he hears a knock at the back door, which is strange but not as strange as using the fireplace to cook. “I've got it,” he calls into the rest of the house.

He's not sure who he's expecting, but it definitely isn't Shadow. He opens his mouth to say something, but scathing words die in his throat when he notices Amy slipping from Shadow's back, flushed and out of breath with wide eyes. Wordlessly he lets them in, watching as Shadow helps Amy into a chair and then goes around the room closing all the curtains and blinds. When Sonic meets Amy's eyes, her mouth thins into a tight line and she looks away. Right. Definitely mad at him. His stomach clenches, and he turns to Shadow as a distraction.

“Alright Shads, what the hell is going on?” Talking hurts his ribs and does nothing for his rapidly failing mood. Shadow crosses his arms and Sonic lets out an irritated sigh. “Look, it's obvious that something’s up. If I'm going to be involved, I think I deserve to know what it is.”

“You're not going to be involved,” Shadow replies in a flat tone.

Sonic snorts. “You’re at _my_ house, I’m already involved.”

“It’s not just your house. Manic lives here, too.”

“That's such bull,” Sonic protests. “You can't seriously expect me to sit idly by knowing that you're getting both Amy _and_ my brother into some sort of danger!”

Shadow hesitates. “Actually, Amelia is not participating either.” Sonic glances at Amy to see how she feels about that news, and he almost feels bad for Shadow. Almost.

“What do you mean I’m not participating, Shadow?” she demands as she gets out of her chair and plants her hands on her hips. “Who are you to decide what I can and cannot do?” She manages to pull off the impression of looking down on Shadow, despite being two inches shorter than him and having to look up into his face.

Rather than back down, Shadow draws himself up and returns her haughty expression. “It's too dangerous,” he argues, “I’d rather not involve you, and so I won't allow it.” Sonic winces. _No one_ speaks to Amy that way when her temper flares. It isn’t safe _._

“Well, maybe you should have thought about that _before_ G.U.N. surrounded my building!” She punctuates her shouting with a sharp jab to his chest. “I'm involved whether you,” _jab,_ “like it or not, _Shadow_ ,” _jab,_ “so you had better get used to including me!”

As she goes to jab his chest again, he catches her wrist in his hand. They stand like that, glaring into each other's eyes, until Sonic can't take the tension anymore. “Right, well, I'll be in Manic's room. When you two are done gazing lovingly into each other's eyes, you can meet me in there and we'll figure something out.”

He isn’t around to see the looks they give him.

Friday, November 26th, 10:02pm, Sonic's dining room

Amy watches Shadow glare at Sonic's retreating form. Of _course_ it was Sonic who answered the door. With Amy's luck, it's a miracle that someone from G.U.N. hadn't answered, though she still doesn't know why they're running from an organization known for peacekeeping in crisis situations. One way or another, she intends to find out.

“Shadow,” she growls, “you owe me an explanation.” _He'd rather not involve her?_ Well that's just peachy, but it's too late for that! And even if it wasn't, she refuses to be left out! The look he gives her is arctic level cold, but she holds her ground.

“The day after Robotnik attacked, I went home to collect a few things only to find my house surrounded by G.U.N. They were looking for me and my mother. I have no idea why, but I suspect it would be bad if they found me.”

Amy feels the heat drain out of her. She can't imagine a more terrifying scenario. Gently as she can, she tugs her hand out of Shadow's grip, using it to brush a lock of hair away from his eyes. “I want to help.”

“No,” he protests immediately, and this time his voice is so sharp that she takes a step back. She doesn't get far, though. He grabs her arm much tighter than before, yanking her back to him. She catches herself on his shoulder with her free hand, clutching his shirt to maintain her balance. “Anyone who helps me is in danger,” he tells her, barely an inch away. His looming makes it difficult to stand up straight. “I've already had Aziza taken from me, I won't let you be taken too.” His free arm snakes around her waist, and it's suddenly a lot harder to breathe. His grip on her wrist hurts, and her heart is pounding against her ribs. She feels dizzy. Without thinking, she rests her head on his shoulder. He stiffens.

“You can't stop me,” she whispers, lips brushing against his collarbone. She can feel him shiver.

“Amelia,” he breathes.

“Amy,” she corrects, and he swallows.

“Amy,” he echoes. “Why-” The sound of a throat being cleared in the doorway cuts him off, and he pulls away, hands lingering long enough to stabilize Amy.

“I hope I'm not interrupting something,” Rouge's sultry voice teases. Amy’s cheeks burn and her palms sweat, and she wants to assure Rouge that it's not what it looks like. An accusatory voice in the back of her head points out that she'd completely forgotten about Rouge and Shadow over the past few days.

“Rouge, so good of you to join us, and you're not even late. That's a first.” The mocking in Shadow's voice comes as a shock, and when Amy glances at him there's nothing in his expression to suggest that he's just been caught in a fairly intimate seeming situation.

Rouge just laughs, brushing off Shadow's tone as if it's nothing. “Yeah, yeah. But if I'd gotten here later who knows what I might have walked in on, hmm?” She winks as she says it, and Amy’s blush deepens. Shadow just rolls his eyes, finally letting his hands drop from Amy's sides.

Taking advantage of her newfound freedom, and unable to take the embarrassment any longer, Amy scurries down the hall to Manic's room. She knocks on the door as Rouge and Shadow follow at a more leisurely pace.

Manic grins when he opens the door and sees the three of them. “It's gonna be a regular party in here,” he jokes. Amy knows what he means; Manic's bedroom is spacious enough, but all the stuff everywhere makes it hard to find a place to sit. Manic rejoins Sonic on his bed, and Amy decides to perch on his computer chair. Rouge looks around and then seats herself on the dresser, leaving Shadow the beanbag chair. Shadow decides to remain standing by the door, arms crossed. With five occupants—six if you count the cat lounging in his tree—the room feels almost claustrophobic. Amy tries not to think about how much more crowded the hospital is.

“So what's the plan?” Manic asks.

“Whatever it is, I want to help,” Amy chimes in.

“If she goes, I go,” Sonic adds. “Someone has to watch out for her.”

Amy shoots him a dirty look. “I can handle myself just fine,” she snaps.

Manic snorts. “We don't even know the plan yet and you two are already arguing about who gets to go? Yeesh, you sound like an old married couple.”

The two teens both shoot him withering glares. “As if,” Amy huffs at the same time Sonic says “No way!”

“Neither of you are coming,” Shadow informs them with a glare. “Too many people will attract unnecessary attention.”

Rouge nods. “So who _is_ going?”

“You, Manic, and myself. We'll be sneaking into Robotnik's lair to gather information. You two,” Shadow glares at Sonic and Amy in turn, “can sit here and twiddle your thumbs.”

“You expect me to go along with that?” Amy demands, getting up and crossing the room to get in Shadow's face once more.

“Yes, I do,” he snaps. “Manic and Rouge have experience breaking into guarded buildings. Do you? If you come, you'll be a liability, and I'll have to rescue you if you get caught. I don't have time to worry about you, Amelia.”

Amy draws herself up with every word, eyes sparking and nostrils flaring. “Fine,” she spits, “go! Get yourself hurt, or even killed. See if I care!”

She pushes past him, leaving the claustrophobic room. She needs air. She needs to be alone. How dare he talk to her that way? That he’s right only makes it worse! She hates that she can't go, hates that he's going to leave her to worry, hates that she wouldn't have known about any of this if G.U.N. hadn't surrounded her building. If they get hurt, there will be nothing she can do, she won't even know until it's too late! Instead of helping she's going to be trapped here with Sonic!

Sonic... just thinking about him makes her livid. Leading her on like that, letting her think she had a chance! He’d had so many chances to come clean, but no! He was too afraid of hurting her, so he'd lied. What kind of coward does that? She wants to knock some sense into him. She wants to make him sorry. She wants to cry. Everything is so overwhelming. Her feelings are too strong and she doesn't know what to do with them. Sonic is infuriating!

Unlike Shadow, who is up front with her and doesn't lie about things. Except, he’d kept stuff from her too, hadn't he? He should have told her about G.U.N. looking for him, should have warned her. Did he even want her friendship? He's tried so hard to push her away. Except, he literally just said he wouldn't let her be taken away from him, and he'd held her so close, so possessively... does... does he... is it possible that he loves her?

No.

No, of _course_ not.

He tolerates her, at best. Thinking of him as if he loves her is a mistake- look where that sort of thinking got her with Sonic. Besides, why does she even care? She doesn't love him. She knows what love feels like because she'd been in love with Sonic, and it isn't this. Love is desire and need and being unable to keep them out of your thoughts. Love is an overwhelming battle. This is... warm, cozy even. It's too easy, and comfortable. Loving someone means they can do no wrong, and Shadow does _plenty_ wrong. Sure, he makes her heart race, and when he holds her everything feels safe and okay, but that doesn't mean anything.

Does it?

Her thoughts continue until long after Shadow, Manic, and Rouge depart.

Eventually, much to Amy's surprise, Sonic comes out to the living room. “Can we talk, Ames?” She narrows her eyes.

“We have nothing to talk about,” she tells him, trying to make her voice icy like Shadow's. Inside, though, she's on fire.

“Look, I messed up. I get it. But there are more important things to worry about right now. The least you could do is give me a chance to apologize.”

She gives him an incredulous look. The least _she_ could do?

“I'm sorry Sonic,” she says, voice taking on that dangerously sweet quality it gets when she's about to go off. From the look in his eyes, it's clear that Sonic recognizes the tone. “You're right, of course. How _selfish_ of me, being _angry_ at you for _lying_. I mean, G.U.N. could show up at any moment. Shall we just kiss and make up?”

He rubs the back of his neck with an awkward laugh. “Would that make you feel better?” She stares at him. She has no words. Does he really think...? Her fists clench in her lap, and she wants to _scream_. “Bad joke?” he asks with that same awkward laugh. “Look, if you'd just calm down for a-”

“Calm down?” she cuts in. “You want me to calm down? Why should I? You lied to me! You led me on for weeks! And now you’re making jokes about it! Don't tell me to be calm, _Sonny_ ,” he flinches at the use of his first name: Even the teachers had taken to calling him Sonic. “You're lucky I'm even talking to you!” Well, yelling at. Same thing.

Sonic scoffs. “Maybe talking, but certainly not listening,” he accuses. She screams and lunges at him. He jumps back, hastening to put the couch between them. “Whoa, hey! Watch it! Shadow already did a number on my ribs, I don't need you adding to the bruises! Look, I'm just trying to apologize. Can we be civil?” She scowls. He calls _this_ apologizing? Really? “Look, I'm sorry I hurt you, okay? I just...,” and all the heat leaves his voice, at this point. “I didn't know what to do. You looked so happy, and I didn't want to be the one to ruin that, y'know?”

Amy feels like ripping out her hair. “That doesn't make lying okay,” she points out. “You know that, right? That it hurts more being lied to?”

He groans. “No, I know. I messed up, I get that. I've gotten that from the beginning. You're like a sister to me, Ames. I love you, just maybe not...,” he swallows. “Y'know. But, I do. I just want you to be happy.” He stares at his feet as he says it, and Amy’s rage begins dissipating. Oh, she's still angry, but this is _Sonic_. She might hate him right now, but he'll always be important to her.

After a moment’s peace, he looks up with a cheeky grin. “Besides,” he continues. “You've got those big, sparkly eyes. Even Shadow can't say no to you.”

She isn't sure how she feels about that. “I'm still mad,” she tells him. He nods.

“I know.”

“And I'm not forgiving you any time soon.”

“I don't expect you to.”

“As long as that's clear.”

Sonic nods again. “But we're… good?”

“For now,” she concedes. He's definitely in the wrong, and he knows it, but he's right about there being more important things to worry about. For now, she will get along and be civil, because they're on the same side. She's still furious with him, but....

“For now,” she repeats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ
> 
> So, one of my editors is in the process of moving, and isn't going to be able to keep up with weekly updates for the next little while. So there are two ways I can go about my update schedule, and I was hoping you, my lovely readers, could help me decide.  
> The first option is I continue updating weekly until we reach the point where I have no fully updated chapters left and then we break until she's done her move and able to keep up again.  
> The second option is I go down to posting once every other week until she's settled and I can pick back up to a weekly rate. (which will, hopefully, mitigate the need for a break)
> 
> Thoughts?


	11. Chapter 10 - I know you have been afraid before

Friday, November 26th, 10:42pm, The mostly intact backroads

As Shadow makes his way to Robotnik's lair with Rouge and Manic, his thoughts continuously return to Amy. She hadn't so much as looked up when he left. He knows she's mad, but he'd hoped she'd see him off anyway. He's walking into danger and he might not come back, and it would have been nice if Amy had wished him luck. He thinks of the way he'd been holding her earlier, pressed up against him. What would have happened if Rouge hadn't interrupted? He'd wanted something to happen— _still_ wants something to happen—and it’s disconcerting. He isn't foolish enough to think he has a chance, even if she weren't in love with Sonic. It really doesn’t matter now anyway. She'd made it clear that she's done with him. He almost laughs; all he'd needed to push her away was to admit he cared. There's something almost poetic about that.

As the building they're breaking into comes into view, the three teens stop and crouch in a nearby alley. It's a large, abandoned hotel that Manic swears he broke into a couple years ago while doing some urban exploring. It has large apartment buildings on either side of it. One side has a ten foot wide alley with a couple of dumpsters in it. There are a few robots patrolling outside, and every room is lit up.

Once the coast is clear, Manic runs across the road. Their plan is simple, as the best ones are: they'd sneak past the guards into the alley, where they'd then pick the lock of a side door Manic insists is there. They'd agreed to go one at a time, with Manic insisting on being first. He knew where the door was, after all, and it'd give him more time to pick the lock. When Rouge had pointed out that she could also pick locks Manic had shrugged.

“You're faster than me, which means you're less likely to be caught. We might as well get me out of the way first.”

Rouge had accepted it, but Shadow still isn't sure he agrees with that logic.

When Manic is across they wait for a second opening, and then Rouge crosses. Even keeping his eyes glued to her, Shadow finds it hard to track her. Stealth is her specialty. Finally, a third opening comes. Where Manic had made a dash in plain sight and Rouge had slid from one bit of cover to the next, Shadow chooses to approach in three short dashes, not utilizing every bit of cover but using enough to pause and check his surroundings before continuing on. He makes it to the alley undetected.

That the alley itself is unguarded leaves Shadow feeling uneasy, but it's their only real option at the moment. Manic finishes picking the lock as Shadow arrives, and the door swings open.

Their entry point leads straight into a lit hallway. Shadow sees a patrol passing the far end, but by some miracle the robot doesn't glance in their direction. Perhaps Robotnik doesn't expect anyone to get in through a locked side door? Still, best to keep quiet and stick to the walls. They each hold their breath as they approach the crossing.

Cautiously, Shadow peeks into the next hallway. The walls are fairly standard for a dilapidated hotel: old wallpaper that may have been fancy once but is now flaking and discoloured. Along the ceiling, however, runs an assortment of pipes in varying sizes that occasionally branch off to enter side rooms and follow other hallways. No guards here, though. He wonders what they'd do if there _were_ guards. He gestures for the attention of his companions and they start down the hall, silent and careful. They reach a stairwell and once inside, the majority of the pipes head up to the floor above while a select few head into the basement, surprising Shadow since the downstairs seems poorly lit, even in the stairwell itself. Perhaps the doctor's hiding something down there? What better way than to make it feel unimportant and uninhabited? He gestures for the attention of his companions.

“I'm going down,” he mouths, pointing at himself and then the staircase descending into darkness. Rouge and Manic nod in understanding, and Shadow splits off.

The basement of the building is dank and musty, the lights dim and flickering. If not for the shiny tubing running deeper into the building, Shadow would swear no one had been down here in years. Sections of the floor had flooded at some point, causing the distinct smell of mould in the air. In short, not the sort of place one expects to find anything of value.

Still, there has to be a reason for the tubes. He follows them deeper, wandering through the labyrinthine bowels of the building for what feels like eternity. Eventually, there’s a steady light source ahead of him. He’s found no robots down here so far, but he's willing to bet there are some where that light is. Pressing himself against the wall, Shadow edges his way closer. Little by little, the light nears until he's at the doorway and can peek in. The room is well guarded, but he barely notices. The far wall of the room has some cells, and the only occupied one has a face he'd recognize anywhere. He feels his stomach churn.

Aziza sits in her cell cuffed to the wall, head held high. There's a proud defiance in her face that he's never seen before. She's wearing the same dress she'd been wearing the morning of the explosion: stained, torn, and even burnt in places. Her arms are bruised, and his anger grows, flooding his veins with ice as he feels cold rage building. How _dare_ they? He is going to kill Robotnik.

But first, he needs to get the guards out of that room. Looking around, he sees mould and mouse droppings, some chunks of plaster. They'll have to do. He wedges himself in the corner nearest the door and tosses one just out in front of him hoping it'll attract attention. As he hears them approach, he tosses the next plaster chunk further down the hall into a puddle. The third he throws as hard as he can, causing it to bounce off the hall’s far wall. He hopes it works, hopes the guards don't look right as they leave the prison.

They file out, marching down the hall to look for the intruder. He's surprised that they're all robots, but doesn't waste time speculating. He slips into the room and sees that they left one behind. With a wordless snarl, he charges it, taking the robot out with a hover skate enhanced kick before it even notices his presence. And then, he's at Aziza's cage.

“ _Habibi_?” She’d seemed confident before but now terror haunts her face. “Why do you come to this place? It is not safe!”

“I'm getting you out,” he tells her, looking around for a way to open the cell. The pipes run directly into a nearby console, maybe that?

“You must leave!” she insists. He stares. Leave? Without her? Is she insane? “If you are caught-”

“How do I open the door?” he asks, cutting her off.

“Ah, there is... the plastic card. With Robotnik. So now you must go! Without me!”

He opens his mouth to argue, but the room's lights go out, leaving them with only a faint glow from the doorway. In the distance, alarms sound.

“Leave _now_!” his mother insists, face frantic and panicked.

“I can’t leave you,” he protests. If it's an electric lock, then maybe it opened with the loss of power? He tugs at the door; it isn't.

“ _Habibi_!” She sounds terrified and her English is worse than normal, but he ignores her to angle a foot against a cell bar, activating his skate again. It's a long shot, but perhaps he can heat the metal enough to warp the bar. “What good can do you if are caught?”

He continues holding his foot against the bar. It's slow, but the surface is heating up.

Metal feet clank into the room, but Shadow barely notices. Just a bit longer....

“Shadow Hassan!” That catches his attention; Aziza never uses his family name, and she never speaks in such sharp tones. “I am stuck, but you not. Go!” Dark eyes meet red and by the light of his skate, Shadow can just barely make out his mother's face. She's crying. Aziza never cries.

With another wordless snarl, Shadow tears himself away, sprinting as hard as he can and just barely dodging past the returning guards. He runs until he's out of the building, heedless of anyone he passes. He activates his skates and heads back to Manic's with frustrated tears of his own clouding his eyes. Never before has he failed so miserably. He doesn't stop moving until he collapses on the back porch, lungs burning with the effort of his breathing.

Friday, November 26th, 11:17pm, Robotnik's lair

Rouge slips silently into a room with a single large computer. She and Manic had split up a while ago and a large chunk of the building's tubing seemed to be entering this room. She wakes up the computer and gives silent thanks that whomever had used it last had left it in sleep mode. She cracks the password very quickly by looking at the most worn keys and a folder titled 'Project Shadow' immediately catches her eye; she's sure that's what the G.U.N. agent she'd overheard had said. She plugs in the USB she convinced Manic to lend her.

As she loads the data, she skims over some of the information. Project Shadow is some sort of medical marvel, a cure to all ailments. Or, as another document seems to indicate, a weapon? One of the documents says that Project Shadow is a living creature. There's a lot of conflicting data. A faded handwritten note in the margins of one scan mentions Aziza Hassan.

Shadow is not going to like that.

The data is only three quarters of the way through transferring when the hall lights go out and an alarm starts sounding. Not good. She prays that none of the robots she slipped past on the way up here come in. Just a little more....

Metallic feet clank by the doorway and she flinches. After an agonizingly long time, the file transfer finishes and she grabs the USB.

She considers leaving the way she came in, but she still hears a plethora of patrols running by. The room has windows, though. It will have to do. Limited as her options are, Rouge risks the noise and shatters the window with a solid kick. She peeks out, glancing around for a fire escape or something. There's nothing, so she's forced to climb down the wall one brick at a time. She's too high up for comfort, but there's nothing she can do about that. When she's only a few feet off the ground she kicks off the wall, landing gracefully, then sprints into the night. She reminds herself that they'd agreed to make their own ways back to the house if they got separated, so that's where she goes.

Friday, November 26th, 11:17pm, Robotnik's lair

After splitting from Rouge, Manic decides to follow the biggest of the weird ceiling tubes. Surely whatever it's attached to must be important. The room the tube leads to has guards on either side of the door, which only serves to reaffirm Manic's suspicions. He isn't as stealthy as Rouge or as fast as Shadow, but that's fine. Perhaps there's another way in?

Further inspection leads Manic to a ventilation duct, which is awesome! Manic has _plenty_ of practise getting into ventilation ducts! Once he's in, it takes no time at all to get to his destination; he's blessed with excellent spatial memory. Of course, once above the room, another problem presents itself: he can't actually see what's below him. Still, beggars can't be choosers and all that.

Throwing his body back and forth inside the vent, Manic manages to knock it loose. It falls to the ground in a heap, and he considers that a success because, hey, it _worked_. Manic crawls out of the former ventilation system. Except wherever here is, it isn't the room he aimed for. There's no weird tubing in this room at all! Damn it, he'd been so sure. Instead he finds himself in a small bathroom. Well then. He cracks the door open and the massive pipe he'd been following is visible entering into a strange machine surrounded by robot guards. He resists whistling at the sight of the machine; those robots have large weapons attached to their arms and he does not want them to find him.

Whatever this thing does, it’s most _definitely_ important. Disabling it could be a huge boon. A better scan of the room reveals the power source to be... three coloured crystals? No way. But Manic can’t find a different source. There's a green one, a red one, and a blue one, and each of them is larger than his fist. Hot damn.

After much debate on how to go about grabbing the crystals, Manic decides to just see how close he can get without being detected. None of the robots are looking directly at him, so it'll probably be fine. He slips out of the bathroom door, pressing his body tight to the wall, then slides to the ground onto his belly. Alright, time for the dangerous part. Slowly, making as little noise as possible and pausing often, Manic begins sliding his way across the floor. Eventually, he gets past the ring of guards. It doesn't actually look like they're capable of looking down, and none are looking behind.

Just have to grab those crystals and—

The second his hand touches the nearest one—the green one—the machine loses some of its power and an alarm starts sounding. Busted. Holding the gem tight, Manic bursts past the guards as they turn to him. Not good. He hears a shot go off, and dodges behind one of the other robots. The next shot turns his cover into a hunk of molten metal, but the bathroom is right there and he manages to get inside unscathed. He kicks the door closed behind him, not wasting time to lock it. As quickly as he can, he climbs into the hanging remains of the ventilation system, praying the guards don't have particularly good AI.

He hears the door get smashed in.

Against all odds, Manic finds his way to the first floor via the ventilation system. All the patrols have gone upstairs, so he's free to run to the door. As the brisk night air engulfs him, he lets out a victorious whoop. What a rush! He starts the lengthy run home, already planning how they'll get back in for the other two crystals.

Saturday, November 27th, 12:37am, Manic's dining room

Shadow stumbles in through the back door, sweaty and out of breath. Before he can say anything, Amy's arms are around him and squeezing him so tight that breathing becomes truly difficult.

“Oh Shadow, I was so worried!” she cries before loosening her grip and leaning back to look him in the eye. “Are you okay?” He's barely aware of anything but green eyes and pink hair. “Did anything happen? Are the others with you?”

It's too much. He'd been so sure she hated him, and then he had to leave Aziza… Dizzy with emotion, he pulls Amy to him and hides his face in her hair. She's so warm and bright, and at least he can protect her even if can't protect anything else.

“I thought you didn't care,” he half-jokes so softy that he can't hear the words once they're off his tongue. Amy must hear it, though. Her arms tighten around him.

“Of course I care,” she huffs, leaning into him and resting her chin on his shoulder. Shadow clings to Amy like a lifeline. He knows he shouldn't, but his mum is gone and he couldn't _do_ anything about it, and now Amy is here, and if he just holds her tight enough then maybe he won't lose her too.

Eventually the door opens again and as soon as it does Shadow feels... something. A pulsing resonance that fills a hole he never noticed before. It's like the return of something integral, such as an arm or a leg, except he never knew it was missing. The feeling is so overwhelming that he doesn't notice Amy slipping out of his arms to greet Manic and Rouge with hugs of their own, nor does he notice himself taking a step towards them.

Whatever it is, it's coming from Manic. Shadow takes another step forward as Manic excitedly tells them about whatever it was he found. Shadow doesn't hear a word of it. Manic has pulled the source of the pulsing out of his pocket, revealing a large green gem that, when let go of, remains floating in the air.

Shadow can't stop himself from reaching out to touch it; he’s barely in control of his body. The shock of the contact sends shivers along his spine. He thought the feeling was overwhelming before, but nothing could have prepared him for _this_. The energy radiating from the gem is... pure. It's power. Touching this, Shadow knows that he can do anything, that he is unstoppable. He feels time and space ready to mold themselves to his will. All he has to do is flex, and....

There's a strange pulling sensation and everything shifts. He’s being squeezed and twisted, and then he's back in Robotnik's lair, in the basement cell with his mother. He reaches out to touch her and—

Pain.

Pain, like nothing he's ever felt before.

Pain, like Shadow's entire body is being pulled in a thousand different directions at once, but there's also great pressure, like he's being crushed by a mountain, his insides thrown into a blender to be shredded and mixed until all that's left of his vital organs is a thick, sludgy liquid. He feels like he'll burst any moment now. He can't scream, can't even breathe to get the required air to attempt it.

And then he's falling. Falling through eternity as angry claws rip and tear away pieces of his flesh and soul.

He blinks.

He's on the floor of Manic's dining room, the pain a fading memory. Five faces stare down at him, all with varying levels of alarm etched into their features. He attempts to sit up and represses the urge to empty his stomach.

“Easy,” Amy says, hands darting out to hover near him. “How do you feel?”

Like he's been hit by a car, but Sonic and a plum-haired lady, who Shadow assumes is the triplets' mother, don't need to know that. “Fine,” he answers. Everyone gives him a funny look.

“Ah, bro?” Manic begins. “You were gone.”

They all nod and Shadow frowns. “How do you mean?”

“You disappeared, babe,” Rouge answers.

“And then a minute later, you were back,” Sonic continues.

“Like you—” Amy starts, but the plum-haired lady cuts her off.

“You tapped into the Chaos Emerald and you teleported,” she says and everyone except Shadow looks at her. All he sees is the Emerald. It's still floating there as if nothing happened. He feels it pulsing and resonating as easily as he feels his own arm. It feels like the power source in Manic's hover board times a billion.

“But the Chaos Emeralds are a myth,” Amy points out, though she doesn't sound very sure.

The lady shakes her head. “No, they aren’t, and they’re dangerous.” She turns to Manic. “Was that the only one?”

He laughs nervously. “Ah, no. There were three.”

Not good.

“We need to get the others away from Robotnik, then,” Sonic decides.

“Absolutely not!” his mom protests.

Shadow shakes his head. “I loathe to admit it, but Sonic's right. If the Emeralds are real then they're way too powerful to leave in the hands of someone like him.”

“You're just kids,” she insists. “Leave this to G.U.N.”

“No,” Shadow says sharply. “He has my mother, and I will not leave her there.” Everyone stares at him, much to his discomfort. “She's being held in the basement,” he says awkwardly.

The six of them stay up well into the wee hours of the morning arguing about whether or not they should go. Eventually the triplets' mom—Aleena—agrees to let them, mainly because her sons point out that they'll be going with or without her blessing. After that, she retreats to Sonia's room and Shadow gets a sinking feeling in his stomach as it occurs to him that Sonia likes to involve herself in everything.

Shadow suggests that they use the Chaos Emerald to teleport in when they retrieve the other gems and liberate Aziza, but no one else seems comfortable with that plan; they don't even know if it actually can teleport people, and they don't want to risk Robotnik getting it back. There's also the fact that just touching the thing had knocked Shadow out for several minutes, which clearly means it's dangerous.

Sonic and Amy insist that not only should they be allowed to come along, but so should any of their friends who would be interested. Shadow relents, and it's decided that a big group will go after the Emeralds, and a smaller one will rescue Aziza while the bulk of the lair's security robots are distracted. Amy insists on going with Shadow and that's fine by him. Theoretically, there should be less danger in freeing his mother than in fighting through a storm of robots. Being able to personally keep an eye on her is just a perk.

Progress on the plan comes in sporadic leaps, when Shadow and Sonic stop posturing over who gets to be leader long enough to actually put their heads together. But eventually, even the leaps start dying down and Rouge approaches Shadow. “I need to show you something, can we go into Manic's room?” He frowns, but nods and lets Rouge lead the way.

Once the door is closed she pulls a laptop out of her bag and plugs a USB in. Then, she hesitates.

“What is it?” Shadow asks, not used to seeing such a nervous look on Rouge's face.

“You're not going to like this, but...,” she begins opening various files on the USB, “you should probably read this. All of it. I... I think it might be about… you.”

Shadow frowns, taking the laptop from Rouge's hands and perching at the foot of Manic's bed. The folder is titled 'Project Shadow'. As he reads, he feels his eyebrows climb into his hair.

Project Shadow had started as a medical program for researching immortality, and early research heavily focused on the Chaos Emeralds. The first prototype was based on a reptile with unfavourable results. The prototype, known as the Biolizard, exhibited many of the desired traits: regeneration of lost limbs, a functioning Chaos Control-inducing organ, restoration, and asexual self-reproduction. Unfortunately, it was very primitive in its behaviour and it grew at an unexpected and exponential rate.

While the prototype proved to be too dangerous, the research continued. They shifted their focus, deciding to experiment on living creatures instead of creating new life from scratch. As luck would have it, one of the civilians aboard the ARK had a sickly son back on Earth who would likely not survive the week. He was more than willing to let his son be used as an experiment if it meant the boy might survive. By all reports, the switch to a pre-existing organism seemed to be a success. Project Shadow grew at a normal rate, exhibited rapid regeneration from injuries, and had an increased capacity for learning. The child also became close friends with Professor Gerald Robotnik's granddaughter, Maria, showing that the experimenting hadn't damaged his ability to interact with and relate to other humans.

Along with this information, the folder contains various research notes and journal entries, as well as newspaper clippings reporting the eventual shutdown of the ARK due to an accident that killed all but one of the involved researchers. The final file is filled with notes, written out by Dr. Ivo Robotnik. According to him, Gerald had weaponized the project in his final days before it was put into stasis some fifty years ago. Eventually, human rights laws put pressure on G.U.N., and Project Shadow was released to the closest living relative of the child they'd experimented on, though its growth still needed to be monitored and reported on. There were whispers that G.U.N. had hopes of eventually recreating the results if Project Shadow continued to be stable. The name of the relative was Aziza Hassan.

Shadow feels numb as he rereads the contents of the folder for a third time. Every time he reads the note saying that Project Shadow was entrusted to Aziza, he feels a little colder inside. There's no way this is real. The files are wrong. He's misunderstanding somehow. Aziza will explain it when he rescues her. She'll tell him he's her son, and everything will be alright.

His throat feels tight as he removes the USB from the laptop. His body moves on autopilot. He makes his way to the living room, where one of the couches has been opened to reveal a hide-a-bed. Amy and Rouge are sitting on the bed with Manic’s cat, listening to a story Manic is telling from his seat on the back of an armchair. Sonic is nowhere to be seen.

“So there I am in the holding cell,” Manic is saying, “when this guy tries to pick a fight with me, and I'm just like 'Brah. This is a four-hundred dollar dress.'”

Shadow flops onto the other couch as Amy and Rouge start laughing. He wills sleep to take him. The last thing he hears is Rouge's voice.

“Wait, wasn't that the dress Sonia got for junior prom?”

Shadow wakes with a gasp. His heart is racing and breathing is difficult. He needs air. He gets up and makes his way to the back door, staggering a bit as he does so. He feels dizzy, light-headed. It's probably due to whatever is causing his difficulties breathing. He ignores it, and promptly bangs his shin on the coffee table. Letting out a muffled curse, he manages to make it the rest of the way without incident.

Once outside, it's a little easier to breathe but his heart is still pounding. He feels empty. He takes a seat on the back steps, resting his elbows on his knees and pressing his palms into his eyes.

“Are you alright?” a soft voice asks from the doorway, causing him to start. He turns and Amy is there, staring at him with those wide, green eyes, as if his inability to sleep has summoned her. In the grey of dawn, it's easy to pretend no one else exists.

“I am, yeah. I just needed some fresh air is all.”

She nods, but doesn't seem entirely convinced. She wordlessly sits next to him, taking his hand in her own and giving it a squeeze. He returns the gesture, and they watch the sun begin climbing over the horizon together. His heart slows to a more comfortable rhythm.

After a while, Amy breaks the silence. “I won't ask what's wrong, because I don't think you'd answer me, but don't forget that I'm here for you.”

A lump forms in Shadow's throat. He should push her away, should get rid of someone who is so obviously becoming a weakness. He wants to. But, he also wants to pull her closer and tell her everything, to admit that he's grown over-fond of her, that he wants her around no matter the danger, and that he's scared in ways he's never been before.

He can't, though. How could he tell her those things while Robotnik and G.U.N. are both looking for him? When he might not even be human? No. She probably still loves Sonic anyway. Which is for the best, Sonic is normal. He isn't a genetic freak from a long-ago experiment being hunted down by two incredibly dangerous powers. He's just a guy. Shadow would never admit it, not even to himself, but for a fleeting moment he envies the track team's star athlete.

He's distracted from his thoughts by a tremor in Amy's hand, and when he glances over, he can see that she's wrapped her free arm around herself to fend off shivering. He hadn't even noticed the cold. With a frown, he scoots closer to her, letting go of her hand so that he can instead wrap an arm around her shoulders. He tells himself he's just trying to keep her warm, and he knows that it’s a lie. She doesn't hesitate to lean into him.

“Are you nervous?” he wonders, and she glances at him with a tilted head and slightly pursed lips. “About sneaking into Robotnik's lair,” he clarifies.

“Oh. Yeah, my heart races just thinking about it,” she admits.

“I'll protect you.” The words had come unbidden to his lips, and he winces internally. Damnit. No good can come from being so open with his feelings.

She flashes him a cheeky smile before resting her head on his shoulder. “Don't be so sure I need you,” she teases. “Maybe _I'll_ be the one protecting _you_.”

He chuckles softly and strokes her hair absentmindedly. She makes a contented noise and snuggles up against him, and again he wants to tell her everything, but his mouth has gone dry and he has to lick his lips twice before he feels ready to speak.

“Amelia,” he begins, heart in his throat.

“You never did tell me why you insist on using my full name,” she muses before he can continue. He freezes, a knot forming in his stomach. He's not sure whether he resents the interruption or is grateful for it, but either way he embraces it. Except, he knows the reason is stupid, and he wishes he'd never fallen into the habit. Amy twists to look at him during his hesitation. “Shadow?”

“You put it quite well yourself,” he admits, and he can't meet her eyes. “‘Amelia’ is so formal, but ‘Amy’ could be your best friend.”

She frowns. “I'm not sure I follow.”

He sighs. “When we first met, I had no desire to befriend you. I assumed that by keeping things formal, we would never be more than acquaintances.” He glances at her expression then, and sees that she has raised an eyebrow in a near-perfect imitation of his own favourite expression.

“That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard,” she points out. “You know that, right?” He nods, and she continues. “I mean, for one thing, it clearly didn't work. Unless this is how you behave with all your acquaintances?” she asks, gesturing at his arm around her shoulders.

He smirks at the challenge in her voice and shakes his head. His palms grow sweaty, and he hopes she doesn't notice. “Only you,” he murmurs, pulling her a bit closer.

“So, I'm special then?” She laughs, shifting her body to better face him. He likes her laugh, and his gaze drops incessantly to her lips. The hand that had been stroking her hair trails down, running across her cheek to cup her chin.

“You are the most special,” he breathes. Her lips part slightly and she makes no move to pull away. He swallows and leans in.

The sound of clattering inside causes the teens to jump apart, and Shadow is on his feet and through the door immediately. Sonia is by the front door with Aleena, bending over to retrieve a pair of shoes she'd dropped. She's swaddled in a blanket, but Shadow doesn't miss the telltale sores forming on her exposed arm, or the blood at the corners of her mouth.

“What's going on?” Amy asks from beside him.

“I'm taking Sonia to the hospital,” Aleena answers, helping Sonia to pull her shoes on.

Amy bites her lip. “What's wrong with her?”

“We don't know,” Aleena admits. “She's had a fever for days, and tonight she started throwing up blood.”

Amy steps forward. “We'll go with you,” but Aleena shakes her head.

“Someone needs to tell the others if they don't find the note we left. Why don't you two go back to bed?” she suggests instead.

Once they've left, Amy leans against Shadow. “Do you think she'll be okay?” He doesn't have the heart to answer, so instead he guides her to the couch, where they sit together and he strokes her hair until they both fall asleep.

Saturday, November 27th, 9:56am, The triplets' living room

Amy wakes up with a groan, arm numb from laying on it funny. Her back is sore from sleeping in a mostly upright position, and she determines that falling asleep on the couch may have been a mistake. When she looks up, she's surprised to see Manic perched across from them on the hide-a-bed, his chin in his hands and his lips stretched out in a teasing grin.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” he greets. His tone is casual, but she wishes she could sink through the couch. “How was your night?” She gives a nervous laugh. Shadow is still sleeping next to her, head lolling and limbs tangled with hers. “It seems I've caught you at a bad time, but I wanted to let you and Sleeping Beauty know that breakfast is ready, whenever you two want to come get it.”

She nods and watches as he heads to the dining table, leaving her to wake Shadow. Not the easiest of tasks, she's learned. She shakes his shoulder and he shrugs her hand away. “Shadow, shouldn't you get up?” she whispers. He mumbles something unintelligible. “Breakfast is ready,” she tries with no better luck. She pulls herself out of his arms and considers just leaving him on the couch, but there's no way they can figure out a plan without him. “Come on, you need to eat so you have enough energy to figure out how we're going to deal with Robotnik.” He actually cracks an eye open at that, and she gives him an entreating smile. “Please?” He groans and covers his face for a minute before pulling himself into a sitting position.

“Yeah, okay,” he grumps.

On the dining table are plates covered with eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns. Amy wastes no time piling food onto her plate and digging in. “How did you make it all?” she asks Manic as they eat.

He gestures at the fireplace between the dining and living rooms, which still has a low flame going. “We're running low on firewood, though,” he says after finishing a mouthful of egg. “Soon we'll have to get more.”

As the meal progresses, the four of them go over their plans again to refine various details. Sonic will go to Tails' workshop and try to convince him to help out, then go see if he can find other friends to help out. Rouge is going to head home to get some things, stopping by a few trusted friends' houses on the way to see if she can find anyone willing to come along. Tonight, Sonic will swing by Robotnik's lair to see if any changes in security have been made. Tomorrow, everyone will meet at Tails' workshop with supplies, go over the plan one final time with anyone else they manage to corral, and then set out.

As they discuss the plan, Amy’s heart races and her palms sweat. She's terrified, but she needs to do this. Everyone else is doing their best, after all. Looking around the table, she sees different sets of emotions on everyone's faces. Manic looks excited, like he sees this all as some sort of grand adventure. Sonic has a seriousness to his face that she's never seen before, but he also seems eager. Not as excited as Manic by any means, but not afraid. Rouge is staring at Shadow with something akin to concern, and then there's Shadow himself, who looks angry and ready for violence. The expression on his face would have been terrifying on anyone else, but Shadow is safety and comfort. She knows he won't hurt her.

A traitorous voice in her head asks if she knows it like she'd known she and Sonic were meant to be together forever.

With the plan finalized, Rouge gets ready to head out, and Amy overhears Manic offering to walk her home. She politely declines.

“Are you sure? I'd hate to see something happen to such a lovely lady.” He winks as he says it, and Rouge giggles.

“If I didn't know better, I'd say you just want to be alone with me,” she teases.

“And if I do?” he challenges. She grimaces.

“Oh honey, I don't swing that way,” she says apologetically. Amy stares, surprised. She'd been so sure Rouge and Shadow were....

“Oh honey,” Manic replies in a surprisingly decent imitation of Rouge's voice. “Neither do I.” That one also comes as a surprise, though it occurs to Amy that she's never actually seen Manic express interest in girls. Oh, he flirts with them, but he flirts with literally everybody.

Rouge blinks, and a slow smile spreads across her lips. “Well in that case, I would love some company.”

The two of them head out and Sonic follows shortly after, leaving Shadow and Amy alone together. Shadow puts Amy to work gathering supplies from around the house, and when Manic returns, he quickly joins her. Shadow spends the day back and forth between helping for half an hour, and focusing on the Chaos Emerald for an hour. When he's focusing on the Emerald, he alternates between staring at and touching it. From time to time, the Emerald flashes, or Shadow does. Sometimes they both do, but Amy can’t tell what causes the reactions. It makes her uneasy, though. What if something happens again?

They're just beginning to prepare dinner—canned ravioli tonight—when Sonic arrives with bad news. “Ro-buttnik has at least tripled the guards outside, and the alley you mentioned is swarming with robots.” Everyone grimaces at that, though Manic proves that they're not all grimacing for the same reason.

“Ro-buttnik? Really?” The look he gives Sonic is one of disappointment. “That's the kind of burn I woulda come up with when I was like... ten, or something.” He shakes his head, and Amy stares. Sonic says getting in will be nearly impossible, and Manic's reaction is to be upset by his brother's choice of insult? Granted, this is Manic….

“I didn't have much to go on,” Sonic replies in a defensive tone, shoving his hands into his pockets and shrugging.

Shadow looks entirely done with the twins. “Were there any places where the security didn't seem as tight?” he asks after letting out a deep breath.

Sonic shakes his head. “I mean, the roof looked okay. But I don't think the Tornado could fit all of us, so that's out.” Shadow opens his mouth, but Sonic must see something in his eyes because he cuts him off. “And we're not using the Chaos Emerald. It's unsafe and we'd risk putting it right back into 'Buttnik's hands.”

“ _Dude_ ,” Manic huffs. “Lay off the 'Buttnik. It's not gonna catch on.” Sonic shoots him a glare, which Manic ignores. “Now, if y'all are ready to be done wallowing in anxiety, I might know a way in.” Everyone stares expectantly and he grins. “There's an old tunnel system beneath the city and you can access just about any of the older buildings from it, including the hotel Ro-buttnik's using as a—Oh, God damn it, Sonic, now you've got me doing it.”

Shadow turns his increasingly unimpressed expression on Manic. “And you didn't mention this before because...?”

Manic shrugs. “For one thing, the tunnels are super gross and I didn't think you'd want to crawl through them. For another, there could be guards down there too, and fighting in such close quarters seems suicidal. Also, we'd have to enter through Twinkle Park, which was swarming with G.U.N. operatives last I heard.”

Shadow nods. “We'll just have to take extra precautions,” he decides. No one has any arguments.

Apprehension settles in on everyone and dampens their moods. After eating, it doesn't take long for Sonic to retreat to his room, and not even an hour later, Manic follows. Then it's just Amy and Shadow, and the silence is oppressive. Amy watches Shadow get up to put out the fire, then listens as he returns to the couch to go to sleep, leaving her with the hide-a-bed. She tries to sleep and focuses on slowing her breathing. It doesn't work. She tries relaxing all of her muscles, one at a time, to no avail. After a while, she even tries counting sheep, but it's no use.

After an eternity of tossing and turning she gives up. “Shadow,” she calls softly into the darkness, pulling herself into a sitting position. “Are you up?”

“How could I not be?” he replies in his velvet voice. It sends shivers up her spine, but she doesn't answer. Doesn't know how. She feels a presence shift around the room and she stiffens, but relaxes when a familiar body sits next to her. He wraps his arms around her, but he's stiff, awkward. Amy fits herself to him like a puzzle piece.

When she finds her words again, they're not an answer to Shadow's question. “I can't stop worrying about tomorrow,” she admits, and he holds her tighter. “What if something happens?”

“Something probably will happen,” he answers, and Amy's heart sinks. “The best you can do is make sure you won't have any regrets.”

Is that supposed to be comforting? Because it isn't. “What do you mean, 'something probably will happen'?”

“Just that. We're breaking into a guarded facility. The more people we involve, the more targets there are to shoot at. Odds are someone is going to get hurt.” His voice has the same flat tone it gets when he describes the bleaker parts of History. Just a cold statement of facts. And he's right, of course he's right. One way or another, someone will get hurt. She feels sick.

“How can you say that so calmly?” she demands, but she knows the answer before he speaks it.

“Because it's the truth.”

“But, don't you care?” she asks, and she feels him tense up even further.

“No,” he answers, and the word takes all the warmth out of her. “Everyone knows what they're getting into,” he continues, leaning back and resting his head against the back of the couch-bed. “Getting worked up about maybes is pointless.”

Her throat clenches, cutting off her air. No. She can feel herself shaking, but she makes no effort to stop. Pointless. Shaking hands come up to cover a face that's wet with tears, and she bets he doesn't care about that either. Sobs wrack her body, clawing up and out her throat in a convulsive fashion. She's barely aware of Shadow's hands fluttering about her shoulders, but in the still night air she can't miss his voice.

“Amelia, hey, I'm sorry. That came out wrong, please don't cry. I didn't—hey, could you look at me? Amy?”

And yet what heed should she give to pretty words when they fall from lips that have already admitted their disinterest? He doesn't care that something could happen. This time tomorrow someone could be hurt, or worse! She can barely complete the thought. A sharp wail tears itself from her, punctuated by her sobs. She must seem such a fool, but what else can she do? She had thought them friends, had thought them more. He's her safety net, and he doesn't care that she might... this is worse than Sonic. No. _Pointless_.

And then something is tugging her hands away from her face. Even with her eyes adjusted she can only just make out Shadow's features. His full lips are parted the slightest bit, and his thick eyebrows are raised. Both of them. His eyes are the most visible, their red clear even when all other colours are absorbed by the dark. Those striking eyes are nearly round right now. He looks alarmed and vulnerable.

“Amy,” he repeats, and his voice is soft with promised comfort. She wants to give in, but his voice is still echoing its 'no' in her ears. _Pointless_. “Please,” he insists, hot breath ghosting onto her face. “I never meant....” A pause as he swallows. “I didn't...,” he shakes his head, once, twice. When he raises his eyes back to hers, she feels pinned. He opens his mouth and his words are careful, precise. “I am not always the best with my words, but I would like to try again. Whatever is going to happen will happen, and there's nothing I can do about it now, so rather than dwell on it, I am choosing to focus my mind on other things. Better things. Please do not think that I don't care for your well-being. If something were to happen to you tomorrow, I...,” he swallows again, and there's something vulnerable in his voice when he continues. “I do not know what I would do. You are very important to me.” He grimaces, and tries again. “More than important, Amelia. I am very fond of you.”

Amy blinks. _Surely_ he isn't saying what she thinks he is. Shadow doesn't have feelings for her, there's no way. Believing he does is a mistake and would lead to trouble. It would be Sonic all over again, only worse because Shadow would actually leave her. No, she just needs to figure out what he really means. Except, now he's staring at her expectantly, and now he's fidgeting and—

“Amy?” His voice is beyond vulnerable; raw and exposed.

“Yes?” she tries as she stalls.

“Did you hear me?”

“Ah, I don't think so,” she admits.

Shadow closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “I like you. As more than a friend.”

She tries desperately to come up with an alternate meaning to his words, but she's finding it very difficult to think. She’s so hot all over. “Are you sure?” she finally manages to ask when Shadow's expression begins slipping into horror.

He frowns at that. Of course he's sure, Shadow is sure about everything. She licks her lips, again keenly aware of their proximity. All she'd have to do is lean forward... she flushes, because surely he doesn't want to—

He just told her he likes her, though. And she wants to. She thinks about how soft his lip had felt as she'd cleaned it up. She'd wanted to then, too. She swallows, because surely she's misunderstood somehow. Maybe he means he likes her like a sister or something. Still, she leans forward before she can think better of it.

“What—” Shadow starts to say, but then her lips press against his and his words halt. It's quick, chaste. As she pulls away, he catches her face in his hands and leans forwards, giving her a quick return kiss. They hesitate for a moment, neither quite sure what to do, and then they're kissing again. Amy feels Shadow's lips move against her own and she tentatively brushes her tongue along his lower lip in invitation. The kiss tastes like salt, and it doesn't occur to Amy that her tears, which coated her face and mouth previously, are the source of the flavour. One of the hands on her face moves to cradle the back of her head, the other going to her back, and then Shadow is pulling her closer. Crushing her against him. His tongue slides against her own and she shivers.

“Is this okay?” Shadow breathes against her mouth, and Amy swallows. Truthfully, it's more than okay. It feels _right_. She nods, _yes!,_ and the hair's breadth he'd left for her to answer in is gone again. His fingers knot in her hair and his hand clutches at her back, and her own fingers begin questing up under his shirt, kneading his skin as they cross it. At some point, he takes her lip between his teeth and gives it a gentle and uncertain nip, and she pushes both of her hands into his hair and tries to pull him still closer. Their kisses are hungry, desperate, and Amy forgets her concerns as she thoroughly explores Shadow's mouth. His fingers trace patterns along her back and her skin pebbles at his touch. She leans back, pulling him with her so that he's on top of her, and he lets her guide him. She traces his teeth with her tongue and feels his breath hitch. They kiss until they're out of breath and then some, until they're both too light-headed and tired to continue. Shadow remains above her after, tracing her features with his feather-light touch. She rains small kisses on his fingertips when they ghost over her lips, and he presses a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose.

The night takes them eventually, as it takes all things, and for once Shadow's dreams are peaceful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. What about Knuxouge? I swear I ship it just like the rest of you. But, before there ever was a Rouge, there was Sonia. Sonia and Knuckles was my first ever ship in this fandom, when I was just seven years old. So why make Rouge gay? Well, I adore Rouge and Topaz. If I ever write the sequel fic to this, Rouge and Topaz would be one of the background ships because they don't get enough love.
> 
> So what about Manic? Well, even when I was little and had a big old crush on him, I knew that it would never work. Seven year old Mozie was like "I like Manic, but he likes boys :(" So. Gotta stay true to young Mozie's first interpretation of these characters, y'know? ;P
> 
> Also, not posting for two weeks was hard, and I missed you guys. But I'm glad I did because my editor hasn't quite finished with her notes on the next chapter yet due to packing everything for her and her kids. I'd rather post every other week than take a break for a few weeks :)
> 
> As a last note, since I'm being chatty, I have made a second imgur album related to this fic. Some posed screenshots of characters and scenes, since I am sadly unable to do my own art of them. If anyone's curious, that can be found here: https://imgur.com/a/i5WZ4ga


	12. Chapter 11 - We won't give up, not ever

Sunday, November 28th, 7:07am, The Triplets' living room

Shadow wakes up before everyone else for a change. He considers getting up and gathering things for the day ahead, but he can't bring himself to get out of bed and he feels a pang of guilt at that. The world as he knew it ended and here he is, laying in a cozy bed with Amy as if nothing were amiss. He should be out there _doing_ something, but he’s coming to realize that he’s not a good person.

He hadn't meant to confess his feelings to her last night, but she'd looked so devastated when he'd said he didn't care and so the truth had poured out. He still can't quite believe that her reaction was to kiss him. He wants to pull her close, to kiss her some more, but now is definitely not the time. Even though her lips are soft and she feels so nice in his arms, even though the world is screwed anyways. A small voice in the back of his mind wonders if she’d just been caught up in the moment last night, but Amy has shown herself to be more than capable of telling Shadow off. If she doesn't want his affection, he will know soon enough. He tightens his hold around her while he still can and the action causes her to stir. He watches as her eyes flutter open, blinking the sleep from her vision. He feels her whole body jerk the moment last night comes back to her, sees the sudden clarity of her eyes and the small 'oh' her mouth forms. For a moment he's disappointed, then she turns to him, face red and smile wide.

“Hey,” she whispers, reaching a tentative hand across the space between them. He meets her halfway and laces his fingers through hers.

“Hey,” he replies just as softly. He licks his lips and the action draws her eyes to his mouth, she bites her lower lip. He swallows, resisting the urge to pull her to him. The others will be up any time now and they have a big day ahead of them.

Amy tugs at his hand, guiding it to her waist. Her free hand goes to the back of his neck and she begins to lean in. He catches her mouth with his own and feels weightless. Everything is warm. She smiles against his mouth and he wraps his free arm around her, using his grip to pull her into his lap when he shifts into a more upright position. Her fingers start fumbling with the buttons of his shirt and he begins kissing along the side of her neck. She makes a noise in the back of her throat, and—

A cough from the other side of the room causes the teens to jump apart, and Shadow is suddenly very aware that they are in Sonic's house and that until recently—possibly even now—Amy's feelings for him had been quite strong. He turns and is not surprised to see Sonic standing in the hallway with a raised eyebrow. Wonderful.

“You know Shadow,” Sonic begins with a drawl. “It's generally considered a dick move to make out with another guy's girlfriend. Especially while you're staying at his house.” Shadow flushes, earning an amused smirk from Sonic. He tries to school his features into some semblance of indifference, but it's not easy when Amy is very clearly straddling his lap.

“ _Girlfriend_?” Amy repeats with a tremor in her voice, and it occurs to Shadow that they may not have actually broken up. He doesn't glance at her, just watches Sonic and waits to see if Amy will hasten to his side and apologize, assure him that she loves him and only him and that this whole thing with Shadow had been a scared, confused mistake. Then she speaks again, and he realizes that he'd misunderstood the tremor. “Do you actually think that you have any right to call me that? After what you did? Seriously? The only reason I didn't break up with you, Sonic, is because it seemed pointless. Our relationship was a sham, after all, and I was the last to know. You and I both know that we were over the moment I found out.”

At some point during her tirade Sonic raises his hands in surrender. “Easy, Ames. I was just goofing. If you wanna lock lips with Shadow, I can't really stop you. But like, could you try to keep it a little more... private?”

Of course Manic chooses that moment to open his door and wander up the hall. “Why with the yelling?”

Sonic replies before Shadow can say it's none of Manic's business. “Ames didn't appreciate my commentary on her and Shadow's make-out session,” he sums up with a shrug. Manic raises an eyebrow and glances at Amy and Shadow, as if seeking confirmation. Shadow refuses to meet his eyes and Amy fidgets. He feels her shifting uncomfortably in his lap and it takes all of his willpower to keep his expression one hundred percent neutral. He is very aware that his shirt has been unbuttoned past his navel.

If Manic has any serious thoughts on the matter he hides them well. “Sounds hot,” he says, and he has no right to grin like that. “I'm gonna cook up some grub, though. If you'll excuse me.” He shoots them a wink and loops his arm through Sonic's, dragging his brother out to leave Shadow and Amy blessedly alone. Shadow gasps at the feeling of Amy's finger tracing the edges of the scar on his chest, and the way she looks at him from under her lashes very nearly makes him pull her closer again.

“I guess we should get up, too,” she muses, but she doesn't seem very attached to the idea. Shadow nods, not trusting his voice to remain neutral. They make their way to the kitchen in time to find Sonic and Manic having a quiet argument about eggs.

“I'm telling you, bro, they're fine,” Manic is insisting, but Sonic shakes his head.

“The fridge is warm,” he points out. “Nothing in it is good anymore!”

Manic makes an incredibly frustrated noise. “Dude, how are you so dumb? Eggs are fine warm. Like, yeah, the bacon's done for, and the milk is probably no good. But the eggs are fine. Plus, we don't have much else left, unless you want crackers and peanut butter for breakfast today?”

“Do we have any beans left?” Sonic tries, and Manic shakes his head.

“Nah. I think it's time we go foraging.”

“We're not stealing food,” Sonic replies heatedly, and it sounds like an old argument. “We'll figure something else out.”

“Like what?” Manic wants to know, and Shadow's with him on this one. “Bro, there are easily a dozen empty houses on this street alone. No one has come or gone in days, and it seems wasteful to ignore them. Besides, if we don't hit them then it's only a matter of time before somebody else does.”

“It's not happening, Manic.”

Manic rolls his eyes at Sonic and grabs the eggs. “Right, well. You enjoy your crackers, then.”

Breakfast, a weird mix of eggs and peanut butter on crackers, is had in silence, and afterwards Manic offers to lend Shadow some clean clothes since his bag is still at Amy's condo. Of course, Manic's wardrobe leaves much to be desired in Shadow's opinion. Finding a shirt that fits is easy enough, but as far as pants go....

“There is no way those are going to fit me,” he points out when Manic offers him a pair of black skinny jeans.

“They're pretty stretchy,” Manic replies. “You could at least try them.”

Shadow snorts, doubting that they're _that_ stretchy, but when Manic provides a mass of strappy black fabric as an alternative, he decides that the skinny jeans, while not really his style, are worth a shot.

“Don't look,” he absentmindedly tells Manic as he begins stepping into them. To Manic's credit, they _are_ stretchy. They're also incredibly form fitting and get stuck on Shadow's thighs.

“Yeah, no, they don't fit,” he informs his companion as he begins pulling them off. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices Manic glance at him.

“I guess you're more bootylicious than me,” Manic muses, and a blush covers Shadow’s entire body.

“ _Manic_ ,” he yelps. “Don't look!”

Manic makes a placating gesture as he turns around again. “Sorry, sorry. Try the pants on the bed.”

Shadow grumbles even as he complies. The pants on the bed are the black strappy mass. He steps into one leg, and he's pretty sure he could fit both legs into it if he wanted. Unsurprisingly, the baggy pants fit much better than the skinny jeans. Still....

“Do you have anything else?” Shadow asks, tugging at a strap connecting his left knee to his right hip.

Manic turns around and eyes Shadow up and down. “Nothing that'll fit as well as those,” he answers. Honestly, Shadow thinks he'd prefer something a bit too small to... these.

“What about your school uniform?”

Manic snorts. “Bruh, I haven't washed those pants since I _got_ them. I mean, if you really want—”

“No, these are fine,” Shadow hastens to reply.

“Suit yourself,” Manic says with a shrug before heading into the hall. Shadow follows behind him, still tugging at the offending straps. Bad enough that the pants are so baggy....

“Who even puts this many straps on pants?” he mutters to himself. “It's so impractical.” Amy's bell-like giggle rings behind him and he glances back to give her a reproachful look.

“I don't know,” she muses, grabbing one of the offending straps and using it to tug Shadow over to her. His heart skips a beat. “Seems practical to me,” she murmurs as she releases the strap to wrap her arms around his waist. When she presses a soft kiss to his lips, he doesn't hesitate to return it.

“I can't even fathom how Manic hasn't gotten himself killed with some of the stunts he pulls in pants like these,” he grumbles as soon as his lips are unoccupied.

“If they're so bad then take them off,” Amy suggests with a laugh, and given how forward she's being Shadow’s mind goes somewhere incredibly indecent. He splutters out a half-formed protest, which in turn causes Amy's cheeks to flush pinker than her hair. “Oh! No, no no no, I meant like wear your own, or borrow Sonic's, or something! I swear!” Her voice raises in pitch as she speaks and by the end she sounds strangled. He can’t blame her with how he reacted.

Shadow grimaces and rubs the back of his neck. “I knew that,” he mumbles, and they both know it's a lie.

“Of course,” she agrees with a forced laugh. They don't meet each other's eyes.

They're still standing like that—close enough that their legs are touching, but both looking studiously away—when Manic comes back down the hall. One look at them and he bursts out laughing. “Oh man, you two are hopeless. What'd I miss?” Matching glares do nothing to stifle his mirth. “Fine, be that way. You two need another moment alone, or can we head out now?”

It takes a huge effort but Shadow manages to keep a neutral expression and tone when he replies. “You're sure you don't own reasonable clothes?”

Manic laughs. “Positive bro. Unless you'd prefer a kilt?” Shadow glowers at the suggestion and Manic raises his hands in mock surrender. “Look if it's that big a deal just borrow something from Sonic, I'm sure he'd be chill.”

Shadow shakes his head. “No, these will do,” he mutters, not even trying to sound like he means it.

Manic rolls his eyes. “Whatever. You ready to go?”

Sunday, November 28th, 9:03am, The outskirts of the blast radius

There isn't much talking during the walk to Tails' workshop. Seeing the ruined remains of the city puts everyone in a subdued state. Sure the streets are still intact, but the further east they go the worse off the buildings seem to be. At some point Amy's agitation must become clear, because Shadow takes her hand in his and gives it a comforting squeeze. She shoots him a grateful smile in return, but he doesn't even glance at her. His eyes are dark and there's a frown on his face. Not his usual frown, mind you, but a strange, pensive one. That Amy can tell the difference is a surprise; she'd never considered a frown anything other than a frown before now.

Sonic's comment when he notices the two of them holding hands doesn't come as much of a surprise. “Jeez, Shadow, can't even wait until we've been broken up for more than a day to put the moves on my girl? I thought we were friends,” he says with feigned hurt.

Shadow raises an eyebrow at Sonic. “Perhaps she realized she could do better than an obnoxious child who considers her a possession rather than a person.”

Sonic's grin vanishes and his face goes far redder than Amy's ever seen it before. “Okay, Shadow, what the hell is wrong with you?” Manic takes one look at the situation, mouths an apology at Amy, and begins to walk faster. Amy wishes she could join him without drawing attention to herself, but Shadow's hand death-grips her own. She wonders if he notices. “All I've ever done is try to be your friend,” Sonic continues, “and yet you can barely go two words without insulting me for no reason!”

Shadow laughs, and it's only a hair less mocking than his reply. “That's not how I see it at all. No reason? Nothing I've ever said to you has been uncalled for.” He pauses for a moment, then adds as an afterthought “Nothing I've done, either.”

“You broke my ribs!” Sonic shouts incredulously, an obvious exaggeration. “Are you trying to tell me that was called for?”

Shadow shrugs. “As I recall, you attacked me first. Perhaps you shouldn't pick fights you can't win.”

“Arrogant, much?” Sonic snarks. “I gave as good as I got.”

Amy remembers all too well the black and purple bruises under Shadow's shirt the other night. Though, now that she thinks about it, something is off, something she was too distracted to notice this morning. Even as the realization hits, Shadow is using his free hand to lift his shirt and reveal the completely unblemished skin of his stomach. His grin is mocking, and there's something almost feral in his eyes.

“As good as you got?” he echoes. “Really? Because I'd call a broken rib far worse than I'd call this.” Amy can't tear her eyes away from Shadow's body until his shirt falls back into place. There's just no way... she remembers the bruises so clearly....

She glances at Sonic to gauge his reaction and is unsurprised to see his eyes wide and his mouth agape. That's how she feels, too. After a moment he closes his mouth, but he keeps staring at Shadow as if trying to figure out what he just saw. Come to think of it, Shadow's lip had been split in the encounter, too; she'd completely forgotten about that, but she definitely should have noticed while kissing him, both last night and this morning. His lip is fine, though, not even a pink spot to indicate a recently healed injury.

“What _are_ you?” Sonic breathes, and Shadow stiffens. Amy glances at him and feels the urge to run. His eyes, usually so cold and distant, are a roaring inferno. He's tensing, she realizes, getting ready to lunge. His grip on her hand is too tight. She whimpers before she can stop herself. Red eyes meet green and for an instant Amy is certain she's about to be seared away, burned into nothing like the centre of the very blast that had thrown her and Shadow together. And then the heat is gone, replaced by open horror. Shadow drops her hand like she's the one to burning him.

“Did I hurt you?” he asks, and though his voice is soft there's anger in his eyes. She doesn't think it's directed at her. She shakes her head and the anger fades. “I scared you, though.”

“I'm fine,” she answers, even though it wasn't a question. The fact that he's so agitated by the thought of upsetting her leaves Amy feeling warm inside. She doesn't notice Sonic frowning at them.

“You're sure?” Shadow asks, and she nods. He doesn't smile, but the edges of his face soften. He leans in and brushes a chaste kiss across her cheek, then straightens before she can return it. She brushes her hand against his, uncertain if he'll accept the invitation, but his fingers twine with hers.

“Can we get going?” Sonic demands, drawing their attention back to him. His arms are crossed and he's tapping his foot impatiently, giving every impression that he wasn't wide-eyed with horror moments ago. Shadow glares at him and Sonic returns the expression. For a moment it seems like they're going to have another spat, then Shadow nods and the three of them start walking again.

The rest of the walk passes without incident.

Sunday, November 28th, 9:32am, Tails' workshop

The moment Tails' workshop comes into view, it becomes clear that the building is sturdy. While the surrounding buildings have extensive burn damage and are on the brink of collapse, the workshop stands tall, a lone island in a sea of destruction. Getting closer, Shadow sees that the workshop is a concrete box. The door opens as they approach, revealing a short, androgynous kid who seems to have replaced sleep with coffee at some point long ago. Shadow suspects this is Tails, which makes the sleep deprived look understandable; from what Sonic said last night, Tails is spending as much time working on upgrading and improving the Tornado as possible, and needs regular reminders to eat and sleep. Actually, come to think of it, the kid looks familiar....

The kid runs a hand through fluffy, ginger hair and grins at Sonic. “I thought you were supposed to be fast, but you're the last to arrive,” he teases, blue eyes sparkling with mirth.

“Funny, Tails,” Sonic drawls. “You can blame Shadow for that,” he continues, as Tails holds the door for them to come in.

Tails glances at Shadow. “Oh, we met, didn't we? Not formally, or anything, but I helped Sonic take you to the ER. Do you remember?”

Amy's grip on Shadow's hand tightens at the mention of the ER, and Shadow nods. “Tails, was it? Thank you for that.”

The boy grins, then turns to Amy. “And you are?”

Amy returns the smile with an easy one of her own. “Amy Rose. It's nice to finally meet you, I don't think I've seen you around. Do you go to a different school?”

Tails laughs, freckled cheeks taking on a pink hue. “I actually skipped a few grades,” he admits. “I'm in university.”

“Oh wow, that's amazing!” Amy enthuses. “How old are you?”

“I turned sixteen last month,” Tails answers proudly.

“Awesome! But, how did you and Sonic meet?”

Tails' expression falters. “Oh, ah, that's a long story,” he murmurs, and Shadow decides to throw the kid a bone.

“An interesting one, I'm sure, but we're here for business not pleasure.” Tails looks like he doesn't know whether he should be grateful for the subject change, or offended over being dismissed so casually. Either way, they stop dithering in the doorway.

Inside, there isn't much to Tails' workshop. It's almost entirely one open room, with a red and white biplane taking up most of the space. The far wall looks like it opens up, but the others are lined with shelves and workbenches, all of which are buried under tools and parts. In one corner, there's a sort of living room area consisting of a mini fridge, a microwave, a couch and loveseat, and a small TV sitting on a pile of what Shadow can only describe as 'stuff'. It's far from luxurious, but he admires it. It's the kind of place he could easily lose himself in for hours, even days, with no fear of being bothered by the outside world.

Arranged around the sitting area are Manic, Rouge, Knuckles, and two people Shadow only kind of recognizes from around school and the pool party. A girl of average build with lavender hair, amber eyes, and an ashy brown complexion is seated on the loveseat next to a tall, slender boy with very dark skin, gold eyes, and curly, white hair. At the sight of her friends, Amy drops Shadow's hand and rushes over to give them all hugs.

Rouge takes one look at Shadow from her perch on the mini-fridge and lets out a guffaw. “Shadow Hassan, what _are_ you wearing?” she asks. “You look ready to go to a rave.”

Shadow scowls. Perhaps he should have borrowed something from Sonic, after all. “And _you_ look ready to go clubbing, yet here we are.”

Rouge opens her mouth to deliver an undoubtedly cutting retort but Manic speaks up first. “Not that I wouldn't love to spend my day discussing fashion, but don't we have more important things to worry about?”

Shadow and Rouge cross their arms in near unison, both of them staring Manic down. He has a point, though. “You mentioned an entryway to the old tunnels?” Shadow recalls.

“One step at a time,” Sonic cuts in. “First, let’s make sure everyone knows what we're here for.”

Knuckles shrugs. “No idea. Rouge said you guys needed some muscle, and I have nothing better to do.”

Shadow frowns, turning his attention to the strangers. “And you two?”

“Sonic found me at the school and said he was going to save the city,” the dark skinned boy replies with an eager look in his eyes, and Shadow can't help but think that they're all doomed.

The lavender haired girl sighs. “Someone has to keep Silver out of trouble,” she answers, and he's glad at least one of their recruits seems to be taking this seriously.

Between Shadow, Sonic, and Rouge it doesn't take long to get Knuckles, Silver, and the lavender-haired girl, Blaze, up to date, and then it's just a matter of fine tuning the plan and making sure everyone is aware of their role.

The first step is getting to the lair, which will involve splitting into three groups of two and one group of three when they get near to the Twinkle Park area, decreasing the chances of being spotted by any G.U.N. agents still present. Then, they'll meet up again in Twinkle Park and travel together from there. In the lair itself, they'll split up once again, this time into one large group led by Sonic and a smaller one led by Shadow. Sonic's group will fight their way to the centre of the building, destroying as many guards as possible on their way. In the Emerald room, Rouge and Tails will work on retrieving the Emeralds while the others keep the robots at bay. While they do that, Shadow, Amy, and Manic will use the distraction to make their way to Aziza's holding cell and attempt to get her out. During the discussion, various things that could go wrong get brought up, but they eventually determine that there's only so much they can plan for.

When they eventually leave the workshop, they do so fairly optimistically despite the dangers. A part of Shadow feels they should use their own Emerald to teleport in and out, but he understands why they aren’t and he’s reasonably confident in their current plan. When the time comes to split into smaller groups, Shadow is unsurprised to be paired with Sonic. Disappointed? Yes, but not surprised. They're the fastest, after all; they can take the longest route and still get there ahead of everyone else. That doesn't mean he has to like it. Once the two are on their way, they speed up. Even with his injured ribs Sonic is faster than Shadow, much to the surly teen's ire.

It isn't long before Sonic takes advantage of the alone time and speaks up. “I'm not too sure how I feel about you dating Amy,” he says, as if that weren't already obvious.

“I couldn't tell,” Shadow scoffs, earning an annoyed glance from Sonic.

“Shadow, I'm serious. I can tell you like her, and don't get me wrong, that's great, but I'm just not sure you're a good match for her.”

Shadow scowls. “And you are?”

Sonic gives Shadow a funny look. “No, of course not, dating holds no interest for me. I'd rather be running or hanging out with Tails. You're a better match for her than _me_ , but that really isn't saying much. Amy's sensitive and needs constant reassurances. No offence, but I don't think you're up to the task.”

“And I don't think my relationship is any of your business,” Shadow snaps back.

“Of course it's my business. Amy's like a sister to me. You dating her is as much my business as it would be if you were dating Sonia or Manic. I just want to be sure she's being treated right. Besides, how do I know you're not taking advantage of her?”

Shadow misses a step at that and the only thing that keeps him from smashing into the pavement is a steadying hand from Sonic. He clenches his fists to resist the urge to strike his companion for even suggesting such a thing. “Do you really think that's what's happening?” Shadow asks in a deceptively mild voice. Sonic doesn't miss the bite in the words.

“It's not something I want to believe,” he placates, “but I need to look at the facts. I mean, she’s had an incredibly rough week. She's scared and vulnerable, and you've got that aloof, unaffected attitude. Someone like Amy's going to notice that, be drawn to it. And then there's the fact that you're older than her, and stronger than her. What am I supposed to think?”

Shadow frowns, because what does age matter? “You're older than her too,” he points out.

“I'm not the one whose hands were all over her this morning,” Sonic drawls. “Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't walked in on you two?”

Shadow feels the heat rising in his neck. His mind slips to that morning a few days back, to him wrapping the towel around Amy's shoulders. He wonders how Sonic would react if he pointed out that he's already seen Amy naked. Sure, he didn't _actually_ see anything, but he very easily could have. The memory makes his insides knot up. “What are you getting at?” he asks, hoping he doesn't sound as flustered as he feels.

“I just need to be sure you're not going to hurt her or push her into anything she's not ready for.”

Shadow shoots Sonic a dark look. “You're one to talk,” he scoffs. Sonic gives him a long-suffering look and Shadow reins in his irritation. “Alright, look, all you need to know is that I am not leading Amelia on, nor am I going to do anything to her that she does not expressly request. I...,” he grimaces. Being open with Sonic is the last thing he wants. “I have grown rather fond of her. I want to make her happy.”

Sonic sighs. “As long as she _is_ happy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a busy week, but I'm so glad I get to post today.
> 
> I don't have much to say, and I generally prefer to avoid spoilers for my writing as much as possible, but I will say that there is much angst in the future of this fic, hence some of the tags. So, if you're looking for some high quality Shadamy fluff, consider checking out Chinaris' I'm Right Here. She writes Shadow far better than I do, and as an added bonus our updates have lines up so you'll get weekly Shadamy ;D  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/24400297/chapters/58859743
> 
> I was unable to figure out how to add the link without just deleting the rest of my note so, sadly it is just separate.


	13. Chapter 12 - Together we can overcome all the odds

Sunday, November 28th, 11:15am, The Twinkle Park Area

Amy is paired with Manic when they split into smaller groups, and as soon as the others are out of earshot, she decides to take advantage of this opportunity to apologize. “I'm sorry I gave you a hard time when you tried to tell me about Sonic.”

Manic gives her a surprised look then laughs the apology off. “Don't sweat it, you were just seeing what you wanted to see. I get that. I mean, I'd've been pretty mad at you if it were the other way around.”

“I have trouble believing that,” Amy replies with a laugh of her own. “I don't think I've ever seen you get legit mad at anyone.”

Manic grins, and it does nothing to lend credibility to his following statement. “Brah, I get, like, _loser_ mad. You don't even know.”

“Really?” Amy asks, more than a little skeptical. “Name one time.”

“You're on! Okay, so... when we were, like... eight, I think? I had this toy truck that I loved; I would even sleep with it. You remember that?” Amy nods. “Cool. So like, one time Sonic wanted to play with my truck, but he had his own so I said no, but Sonic being Sonic just, like, takes it anyways, and I start crying. Really bawling, right? Cause I'm eight, and what else am I supposed to do? So I try to take it back from him, but he won't let go and so it winds up breaking, and like that was my _favourite_ truck. So I'm pissed. Like, just hella pissed, right? There was steam coming out of my ears, fire in my eyes, the whole shebang. So I go to his side of the room and mess everything up. I take all his clothes out of the dresser, dump his toys on the floor, and pee on his bed—”

“Wait, what?” Amy cuts in, staring incredulously at Manic.

“I peed on his bed,” he repeats.

“ _Manic!_ ” Amy squeals. “ _Ewwww!_ ”

“Well, I mean, heat of the moment and all that. I also melted one of his CDs last year, but only because it was terrible and he played it so loud I could hear it in my room.”

“ _Chaos_ , Manic!” Amy laughs, collapsing into him as they walk. Sometimes Amy forgets how easy her relationship with Manic is, how easy everyone's relationship with him is. With him, you can forget your troubles and just laugh. Sure, as they've grown older she's spent less of her time around the youngest triplet, but that never changes anything between them.

Once their laughter subsides Manic speaks up again. “So, you and Shadow?”

Amy can't help but smile at that. “Yeah.”

“Huh, that's surprising. He doesn't really seem like your type.”

Amy frowns. “Are you trying to say he isn't right for me either?”

Manic laughs at that. “Not at all, it's just unexpected, y'know? I mean, it took two years of nearly daily interactions to get him to speak two words to me, then you come along and he gets so thrown out of sorts that he actually starts opening up to me.” Amy stares. Has she really made such an impact? “I mean, I'm kinda jealous, yeah? But as long as you two are happy, then whatever.” He shrugs and gives her one of his warmest grins, and all at once something clicks into place, something Amy should’ve noticed weeks ago. She wonders if she'd be so supportive in Manic's shoes.

After that, their walk is a mix of idle conversation and companionable silence until the gates of Twinkle Park come into view. It's strange seeing the park so empty, so silent. Paths designed to accommodate hundreds—maybe thousands—of people seem too wide. Concession stands normally filled with snacks and surrounded by hungry patrons are empty and alone. It feels like something out of a horror movie, in Amy's opinion.

Standing ahead by the information booth are five figures. Amy's heart skips a beat at the sight of Shadow standing slightly to the side and looking utterly indifferent. His closed expression and uninterested posture do nothing to hide the riot of emotion dancing through his eyes. Amy and Manic speed up to a light jog, waving as they approach the others. It looks like only Rouge and Blaze are missing, but it isn't long before they arrive as well. While waiting for the final two, Manic grabs some discarded maps from the booth next to them, pulls a brown marker labelled 'scented' along the side out of a pocket, and marks each of them with an X. Once everyone is there, he hands the maps out.

“The entrance to the tunnels is in the old Aquatic Mine ride, which I've marked on these,” Manic explains. “If for some reason we get split up, we should all meet just inside the tunnel.” When he passes Amy her map, she immediately sniffs the brown X; it smells pleasantly of cinnamon.

They've just started walking when a strange humming noise starts behind them, followed by a popping sound and a flash of light that hits the ground at Shadow's feet. Where it struck is a small, blackened patch of pavement with a thin wisp of smoke rising from the centre. Amy's eyes shoot to where the light came from and her gaze settles on red and white robot with a ball shaped body, long limbs, and a canon mounted on each of its arms. On the equivalent of its chest 'E-1000' is printed in white. The robot is taking aim again, canons preparing to shoot. She doubts it will miss a second time. Without thinking, Amy grabs Shadow's wrist and starts running as fast as she can. Shadow matches his pace to hers. She glances over her shoulder as they take a sharp left and sees the robot following. They're outpacing it, though.

A second robot, identical to the first, emerges in front of them. Shadow curses and activates his shoes, and then he's gliding and dragging Amy behind him. She works her legs as hard as she can, struggling to keep her feet under her. They're going to make it! They're—

They're cornered, trapped. It's a dead end. Shadow curses again and Amy very nearly does the same as she collapses. She looks behind them and wants to cry. Her lungs are burning, she's not sure if she can stand, and there are four robots closing in. In a moment of what must be pure instinct, Shadow snarls and throws himself at one of their pursuers. He rains blow after blow on it, enhancing his kicks with quick bursts of his skates timed just so. Amy watches from her spot on the ground, desperately trying to get her breath back. Shadow's movements flow smoothly, his attacks like a dance. It's like he was made for this. Unfortunately, he's flesh and blood while the robots are armoured metal. He destroys the first one, but not without taking a considerable beating himself. He doesn't give up, though; every time he's knocked down, he gets up immediately.

There's that hum again, the strange popping sound, and Amy nearly screams as a ball of light takes Shadow in the leg, driving it out from under him. He grunts as he hits the pavement but doesn't stop fighting. He's losing. Even as he pries one of the guns off the second robot, she knows he's done for. He is fighting so hard, but it isn't enough. He needs help.

Amy looks around, looks at the carnival games surrounding them, but it's no use. Weighted darts and water pistols won’t help against plasma blasters and thick metal casing. It isn't until her eyes are passing over the games a second time that she sees it. Laying on the ground next to the strongman game is a massive hammer, red and yellow like something out of a cartoon. It will have to do. She crawls over to it, praying to go unnoticed. When she reaches it and tries to lift it she's surprised by how heavy it is. She gets to her feet and gives it a good heft to test its weight. It has to be at least forty pounds, and it's sturdy. Any swings she makes with it are likely to carry her with their momentum, but that's fine by her.

With a wordless cry, Amy raises the hammer over her head and charges into the fray. She brings the hammer down on one of the robots and the weight of the weapon combined with her momentum crushes its metallic body as easily as a careless child crushes papier-mâché. She doesn't celebrate, though; Shadow’s still in trouble. She begins her swing as she turns to her next opponent, building up momentum and using the force of the hammer to carry herself in the right direction. The robot goes flying, crashing in a heap several feet away. When it doesn't stir, she turns to Shadow, who’s just finished off his own opponent. She watches him slowly get to his feet and wonders how he can bear the pain: One of his legs is a mass of burns and bruises from what she can see, which isn't much due to the blood. His arms are also bruised and bloody, and there are holes in his shirt and his pants with singed edges. And yet, rather than grimacing in pain, Shadow looks at Amy as if he's never seen her before. There's a warmth to his expression that makes it easy to ignore the scrapes on his face and the dirt in his hair.

“You were brilliant,” Shadow says, sweeping Amy up as he does so. She drops her newfound weapon in surprise and he spins her. Of course, spinning turns out to be a mistake. His leg gives out, but even as he falls onto his back, cradling Amy against his chest as it happens, he's laughing. It's a rich, throaty sound. “Where did that come from?”

“It was nothing,” Amy murmurs as she rolls off him, suddenly self-conscious.

“Nothing? I wouldn't say so. It was stupendous! And you call yourself weak?” He shakes his head, another throaty chuckle escaping him. The sound makes him seem softer, less intimidating. Even his injuries seem less severe when he laughs like that. Or, wait, no, they _are_ less severe. As she watches, the nasty pink burn on his leg fades. It's slow enough to be nearly imperceptible, but his skin has definitely regained some of its copper hue. She swallows, and of course Shadow notices.

“Amelia? Are you alright?”

She nods, forcing her eyes away from the medical impossibility occurring on his leg and focusing on his face. His beautiful, concerned face. When she speaks she can't keep the breathlessness from her voice. “Yeah, just a little freaked I guess.”

He traces her cheek with his fingers, touching so lightly she barely feels it. “I'd promise to protect you, but I'm not sure you need it.” She wants to say something to that, but she's not sure what. For a moment they just stare at each other, and then a fleeting look of anxiety crosses Shadow's features. “Amy?”

She swallows, for an entirely different reason this time. “Yes?”

“Wold you like to go out to dinner when this is over?”

Amy feels a fluttering in her chest. “Like a date?” she asks, and he nods. The fluttering explodes, erupting into a warmth that engulfs her entire body. She feels the stupidest grin forming on her face, but she's powerless to stop it. “I'd like that.”

Shadow's tiny return smile makes her wonder how she ever found him scary. He gets to his feet in a surprisingly fluid motion before offering her a hand. She takes it, and can't help the surprised laughter that escapes when he pulls her up fast enough to make her stumble into him. He kisses her, and it isn't at all like their previous kisses. It isn't the chaste kiss she'd initially given him, and it isn't the passionate kisses that followed. It's soft and slow. His lips have the metallic taste of blood, but that's okay. Amy goes weak in the knees.

All too soon, Shadow pulls away. “We need to get going,” he reminds her, before walking over to where she dropped her hammer. He's limping, but it doesn't seem to bother him too much. He picks up the weapon and frowns, testing its weight. “...How did you-?” he begins, before shaking his head and offering the hammer to her. She hesitates a second before taking it. It's so heavy, but it's already proven useful.

Slowly they make their way to the Aquatic Mine attraction, keeping a sharp eye out for more robots along the way. Every time they hear something, Amy's heart leaps into her throat. The idea of getting surrounded again leaves her feeling panicky and on edge. Her worry is for naught; they make it without incident.

The ride itself was closed down years ago due to lack of interest and the resulting lack of upkeep has it in a nasty state of disrepair. Originally, it was the kind of ride that has you float along in a little boat through a series of tunnels, but now it looks more like a sewage tunnel. She's not sure what's more off-putting, the look of the water, or the smell of it. She looks hopefully for one of the mine-cart shaped boats but can't see any. Then, a slender figure emerges from the tunnel, sloshing through water that comes up to his hips.

Manic shields his eyes against the sunlight as he looks up at them. “Ames? Shad? What took you?”

“We had an altercation with some robots,” Shadow answers in the same tone Amy's dad might have said 'we got stuck in traffic'.

Manic lets out a low whistle. “Dang, glad you made it. Everyone else is waiting inside.” Shadow pulls a face at the water before going to the edge of the pool. “Whoa, hold up. If you wade through the water you'll get my pants soaked, and there's no way they'll dry out in the tunnels.”

“What are you suggesting?” Shadow asks, voice thick with disapproval.

Manic raises an eyebrow as if to say 'isn't it obvious?' “Um, duh? Take off your pants and carry them. You can put them back on once we reach somewhere dry.” Amy flushes; she'd suggested something similar that morning.

Shadow crosses his arms. “No.”

“Bro,” Manic huffs. “Everyone else has done it, and those pants you're wearing weigh, like, a billion pounds when wet. If you don't take them off now, you'll have to take them off after, and I doubt you want to save your mum in a ratty band tee and wet boxer-briefs.”

Shadow flushes. After a moment, he starts undoing his pants. Amy stares in shock, and when Shadow glances at her his eyes narrow. “Amelia, would you please turn away?” She blushes and complies. She hears the soft sound of a zipper being undone, and then “Do you mind?”

“No, this is good,” Manic answers, sounding way too entertained.

Silence for a beat, and when Shadow speaks again there's an edge to his tone. “No, I meant could you please turn away too?”

“What, why?”

“Because you're staring.”

Manic makes an indignant sound at that. “So what? It's not like you have anything I haven't seen.”

“Manic!” Shadow barks, and she hears Manic muttering something in response. It sounds suspiciously like 'no sense of humour'. She also hears the sound of something moving in the water, followed by the rustling of some heavy fabric. The rustling stops and she hears another zip, likely Shadow's bag being opened. There's a third zip, and then a splashing noise. When she turns, Shadow is standing in the water looking distinctly uncomfortable.

A thought occurs to Amy. “Aren't you worried about getting that in your injuries?”

He shrugs, “I heal fast.”

“Ah, right. Well, that's… good.” She eyes the water. There are trails in the surface slime behind Shadow and Manic. The idea of going in there is bad enough, but taking off her pants first? Then again, the alternative is wearing crusty, sodden pants for who knows how long, and she's positive they _will_ be crusty if not immediately rinsed with clean water after getting out of that filth. “Don't look,” she stammers before removing her own pants and tucking them into her bag. Then she jumps into the foul water. It's slimy and thick, and she shivers at the feel of it on her skin. The bottom of the ride is entirely sludge.

Manic leads them into the mouth of the tunnel, and sure enough the others are there. Inside, the water only reaches mid-thigh; which is still awful, but _less_ awful. It's too dark to make out anyone's faces until Manic remedies that with a small lantern. Amy doesn't remember the Aquatic Mine being all that scary when she was little, but it is now. The walls seem to close in and she keeps seeing something moving in the darkness. She tells herself it's just the shadows jumping around with their light. When she feels something glide across her foot, she can't help but scream and throw her arms around Shadow, dropping her hammer in the process. The scream echoes horribly in the tunnels and everyone stops to stare at her, their expressions varied. Shadow's arms had instinctively wrapped around Amy, but he shoots her a harrowed look. Tails, Manic, and Silver all have matching wide-eyed expressions, though Tails and Silver's expressions have more fear whereas Manic's just seems surprised. Sonic is giving her a concerned look, Blaze a sympathetic one. Rouge's hands are clamped over her ears and she's shooting a murderous look at Amy, and Knuckles just looks bewildered.

“Sorry guys,” Amy squeaks, releasing her grip on Shadow.

“Are you alright?” he murmurs for her ears alone. She shifts, and almost jumps when she realizes her thigh is pressed against his. Even in the disgusting, tepid water she can feel how soft it is, feel the warmth radiating off him.

“I thought I felt something,” she answers softly, and he nods.

“Did you just drop your hammer?” Manic calls from ahead.

“Shoot! Yeah, I did.” Amy pouts. That hammer had been such a good weapon. She makes to continue, but Shadow grabs her wrist.

“Just like that?” he asks.

“Well yeah, unless you want to reach in and grab it for me?” She means it as a joke, but Shadow wastes no time stepping away from her and passing her his bag. “Wait, Shadow no,” she protests as he removes his shirt and shoves it into her arms, and then he's crouching in the water, holding his hair up with one hand and searching the slimy ground with the other. After a moment he finds it and stands back up. She tries to take the weapon from him, but he pushes her hands away.

“It's covered in slime,” he explains. “I'll give it back once it stops dripping.”

She stares at him in awe. Sure, it's not the _nicest_ thing anyone has ever done for her but it's certainly up there. “Thanks,” she says, hugging his bag and shirt to her chest and vowing to make this up to him.

“Wonderful,” Rouge says, voice flat. “Can we move on, now?”

A few turns later, they reach an area with a ledge covered in terrifying animatronics. Manic is the first to pull himself onto the ledge, not concerned in the slightest by the fact that this means everyone can clearly see his underwear. Sonic is hot on his brother’s heels, and Amy is reminded of his hydrophobia. How had he managed to pull himself together enough to go through this way when he'd barely been able to handle the ride as a kid with a nice boat between him and the water? Knuckles is climbing out when Manic turns off the lantern and turns on a flashlight, pointing it away from the group and leaving them in inky darkness.

“I don't know about you guys,” he says, “but I'm going commando. Once y'all are ready, step into the light.”

Everyone is silent as they change. Amy’s cheeks burn at the thought of following Manic's lead, but she doesn't exactly relish the idea of continuing to wear grimy undergarments if she doesn't have to.

Shadow is in the edges of the light before her, arms wrapped around himself as if for cover. She grimaces at the sight of him, covered in mud and slime and, underneath that, blood. Under the filth are some nasty bruises, though between the darkness and the grime it's hard to say how bad they actually are. Once she's dressed she walks over and wordlessly returns his shirt, which he dons immediately.

Once everyone is dressed and in the light, Manic grabs the flashlight. “The entrance to the tunnels is just through here,” he explains as he leads them around a prop to a door labelled ‘maintenance’. On the other side is a dusty room filled with more decrepit animatronics, a table, some chairs, an empty work bench, and two more doors. He walks toward the one on the right with all the confidence of someone who's walked their path hundreds of times. The door leads into a dank corridor that smells nearly as foul as the ride itself. Cobwebs hang from pipes along the ceiling, and dust covers everything. Manic explains that this hall only leads to other maintenance rooms for the Aquatic Mine attraction and doesn't really see much use these days as a result. About halfway down the hall is an empty vending machine, which Manic shoves out of the way to reveal a painted-over door. It doesn't budge when Manic tries to open it, but Knuckles gets it. Behind the door is a concrete tunnel that smells of mould and something unidentifiable, and leads into blackness; when Manic shines his flashlight down it, the light is engulfed. Fear claws its way up Amy's spine. Anything could be hiding in there. The tunnel is too small. It could collapse at any second. There could be robots waiting in there. There isn't enough room to swing her hammer if she needs to protect herself. It's so dark.

It isn't until Shadow takes her hand that she realizes she's hyperventilating. “I'm right here. You're safe. I will protect you.” She stares at him, and his eyes catch the dim light in a strange way, reflecting it like a cat's. He squeezes her hand before giving her a gentle nudge. They're arranging the travelling order, because it's too narrow for anything other than single-file. Manic is in the front with the lantern, a bright point for everyone to focus on. Behind Manic is Tails, then Sonic, Silver, and Blaze. After Blaze is Rouge, then Knuckles. That leaves Amy and Shadow to take up the rear, and a feeling of dread forms in Amy's stomach. Manic hands Amy a flashlight before heading in.

“Whichever one of you brings up the rear should keep that on so we notice if you get separated from us,” he explains before heading into the tunnel and stealing away their light.

Amy feels the shadows crawling into her heart, leaving her cold and empty. She's never been afraid of the dark before, but it's different underground where there aren't even stars to guide her. Shadow takes the flashlight from her and switches it on, and though the light helps drive her terror down, it's still there. She watches Knuckles disappear into the darkness but can't bring herself to follow until Shadow gives her another nudge.

Time loses all meaning in the tunnels. The only light sources are the lantern way ahead of her, and the flashlight behind her. Occasionally the lights sputter and die, causing someone else to pass their own flashlight forward or back. The only sounds are footsteps, breathing, and dripping. The further they go the worse the air tastes. Conversation could potentially lower their tension, but no one feels like talking. Well, except for Manic, who seems ecstatic to be showing off the tunnels and maintains a constant stream of stories and trivia, but the tunnels give his voice an eerie echoing quality that makes it hard to understand his words.

As they walk, they take more turns than Amy could ever remember. The tunnels change in size a lot, too. Sometimes they walk through sections large enough to stand up straight and travel in a group, and other times they pass through areas so small that they have to crawl on their bellies with the walls scraping their arms. It's the small places that Amy hates the most. What if she gets stuck? What if she goes too slow and they leave her behind? What if none of this is real and she's actually alone? The longer she has to crawl the more prominent her fears become until they're so overwhelming that she feels she must have died and gone to hell years ago, and this is all there is now; endless crawling through a concrete maw that is slowly closing in on her as familiar voices echo in the distance, mocking her with their false existence.

And then the tunnel opens up, the hole she's crawling through coming out of a wall in a larger tunnel where she can stand, can move, and can see the others properly. There's still the all-encompassing darkness eating at the edges of the lights, but she’s upright again, can move her arms, and Shadow is next to her instead of behind her. He slides an arm around her waist, and she leans into his touch. She doesn't even care that she's crying like a child, because she can _move_. Up ahead the she can see her friends taking comfort in their newfound freedom as well, and it's nice to know she wasn't alone in her fear. All around her come relieved sighs as everyone stretches out their sore, cramped limbs. They're not even bothering to start walking, she realizes. At one point she might have been upset by the delay, by the idea of staying in here longer than necessary, but not now. Now all she cares about is the fact that she's _free_. She turns to Shadow and presses a firm kiss to his lips, pressing herself against him and enjoying his proximity.

“We're only about ten minutes away now,” Manic announces. Amy reluctantly pulls away from Shadow, wondering how Manic can tell. She can't even tell how long they've been down here.

“How do you even know the way?” Sonic asks, Manic shrugs.

“I stayed here for an entire summer, you eventually get a feel for it. I mean, I wasn't in here _all_ the time, but I came and went often enough that I formed a sort of internal map. Like, I'm pretty sure I could get us anywhere in the city through these tunnels if you gave me enough time.”

Amy frowns. She remembers the year Manic went missing all too well. She'd been eleven at the time, and Aleena had spent most of the summer crying. Then he'd just turned up one day, filthy and acting as if he hadn't been missing for weeks and weeks. He'd been grounded for forever as a result, and Aleena still wasn't the same. She wonders if Manic ever feels guilty about making everyone worry like that.

About ten minutes later, they reach a door that seems very out of place. It's shiny, new, and modern. There is no handle on it, though. It looks as if it only opens from the other side, if it opens at all. Amy stares in horror. From Manic's disgruntled expression it's clear that this was to be their destination. She wants to scream. They came all this way for nothing. They're tired and filthy and they've wasted who knows how long in these tunnels. She rounds on Manic.

“What the hell is this?” she demands, forcing her way past everyone else in the line and catching everyone off guard.

“Whoa, hey,” Manic protests. “Easy Amy, it's fine.”

“Fine?” she demands. “I just spent an eternity crawling through slime on my stomach for _nothing_ and you're saying that it's _fine_?”

“Amelia,” Shadow cautions, awkwardly sidling past the group to put a hand on her shoulder. She ignores him.

“This was a terrible idea!” she continues. “How are we going to get out? We only have two flashlights left, and I doubt they have much longer in them. Why did we even listen to you? You never do anything right!”

“Bro, chill!” Manic snaps, voice sharp enough to shock her into acquiescence. Manic never speaks to anyone like that. “This place is a lot easier to get out of than into, so just breathe, okay Amy? I've got this.” She exhales sharply through her nostrils, but keeps silent. She’s already starting to feel bad for being so mean to her friend. She didn't mean it, she was just upset and frustrated, and she knows she'll have to apologize to him later.

After taking a moment to think, Manic leads them back the way they came, stopping in front of an old rusted door that looks far more in line with the rest of their surroundings. Amy's heart soars at the sight of it, and without waiting she rushes over to open it, but when she tries the knob it doesn't budge. It's locked. Her knees start shaking and tears begin to sting her eyes, but a soft hand falls on her shoulder before she can devolve into a full-on panic attack.

“Easy, Ames. I've got this,” Manic assures her, smiling when she shoots him a startled look. “I'll have you out of here in a jiffy, so just breathe mmkay?” She nods, and he squeezes between her and the door. It takes him less than a minute to pick the lock, and then the door swings open and he steps aside so everyone can stream through it.

The door leads into what looks like an old laundry room, and Amy takes a deep breath. The air tastes of mildew, but that's a marked improvement over what they'd been breathing. It's still dark in here, but it isn't as claustrophobic. She can't stop a relieved giggle from escaping, and she isn't the only one.

“Toldja I'd get you out,” Manic announces as he slings an arm around Amy's shoulders. “Who rocks?”

“You rock,” she answers with a laugh, wiping relieved tears from her eyes.

“Damn straight!” he says before planting the biggest, sloppiest kiss imaginable on her cheek and releasing her.

She grimaces and wipes saliva off her face. “Ugh, why?” she whines, and he laughs in response before heading to the only other door in the room.

She follows and Shadow slides in beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist as he does so. She glances over and sees him glowering at Manic, which makes no sense. Until it does, and she abruptly stops in her tracks. Shadow stops with her, giving her a quizzical look. Everyone else passes them.

“Shadow, are you… _jealous_?” she asks, too stunned by the idea to be more tactful. Of all the things to get through his unflappable exterior....

He frowns at her. “Why would I be jealous? That's absurd.”

She considers his words. “I'm not hearing a no,” she points out.

“There's no reason for me to be jealous,” he answers. “For one thing, Manic's gay. For another, we never agreed to be exclusive. You are your own person and can do whatever you want, and I’d have no right to be jealous.” He sounds like he means it, but his grip is even tighter, clutching her in an almost possessive manner.

“That still doesn't sound like a no,” she points out. Shadow makes a disgusted noise and drops his hand from her, pushing it roughly through his hair. “I'm sorry, are you mad at me?”

He starts. “What? Now _that_ is truly absurd, of course I'm not mad at you. You've done nothing wrong.” He sounds mad.

“But I let another guy kiss me,” she protests. “Doesn't that bother you?”

“There is no reason for it to bother me,” he growls.

“But it does,” she observes, and he shoves his hand through his hair again.

“No. Yes. I don't know. I dislike that he kissed you, because it reminds me of the way he kissed you during spin the bottle, and I dislike the idea of him kissing you like that again, but more than that I dislike that it bothers me. You are not a possession.”

She's not entirely sure she follows. “So... you _are_ mad at me?”

He groans. “No. Are we even having the same conversation? _You_ have done nothing wrong. _Manic_ has done nothing wrong. Even if me and you _were_ exclusive, neither of you has done anything wrong.”

“Oh....” She frowns and shifts uncomfortably. “You can still be jealous, you know. I would be.”

He blinks at that. “Why?”

“Because I really like you. I know it's selfish, and not a good way to think, but I want you to be _mine_.” She waits for him to tell her off, to tell her that it is selfish and that he doesn't belong to her. She braces for it.

“Amelia?” he asks instead, and she looks up expectantly, peers into his faintly glowing eyes. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

“Yes,” she breathes, leaning in to kiss him before pulling back suddenly, eyes wide. “We’re still going on our date though, right? I still want that, this doesn’t get you out of it.”

Shadow rolls his eyes at that, but the way they crinkle at the edges betrays his true feelings. Amy tangles her fingers in his hair as she grins and kisses him. His hands find her hips and he pulls her against himself as he returns the kiss. They're interrupted by a flashlight hitting them and Manic's voice calling from down the hall.

“Seriously guys? Not the time! Now come on, we've found a way upstairs.”


	14. Chapter 13 - What will I become if I don't look back?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings:  
> References to suicide, Mild gore  
> Mind the tags.

Sunday, November 28th, 5:15pm, Somewhere near the lair

Shadow squints as he follows Amy up the stairs. Is it getting brighter? It seems like it. Each step causes a sharp jolt of pain through the leg he was shot in, but it's noticeably better than it was earlier. His limp is barely there, and the implications of that make his stomach churn. Had he always healed this fast, or had using the Chaos Emerald awakened some latent ability? Up ahead, Manic turns his flashlight off and opens a door that bathes the stairway with light. Shadow covers his eyes and clicks off his own flashlight. After a moment, he stops shielding his eyes and is surprised to find that the light from the doorway isn't nearly as bright as it initially seemed; after the darkness of the tunnels it's more than enough to see by, but it really is quite dim.

As they move from the stairway, it becomes obvious that the sun is setting for the day, but the lighting in the building does wonders for everyone. After a day spent largely in silence, the others finally start speaking again. Rouge mentions that she'll need a good three showers once this is over and everyone laughs and agrees. As caked in grime as they are, Shadow is pretty sure it will take no less than an hour to get the dirt out; the clothes may simply be a lost cause. Still, now isn't exactly the time for such topics.

“We need to figure out where we are in relation to Robotnik's lair,” Shadow announces, but Manic waves his hand dismissively.

“We should be right next door,” he says.

Shadow frowns. “Should be?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, we didn't exactly go far from his lair to get here, so it stands to reason. Unless I miss my guess, we're in the building he shares an alley with.”

It’s clear that they're in an old apartment building. From the look of things, the building was used until recently, and a peek out the windows shows that Manic does not miss his guess. It also shows that Sonic wasn't exaggerating when he'd said the alley's guards have been tripled.

Shadow clenches his fists. They're so close! “Does this building have roof access?” he asks after a moment's thought.

“Probably?” Manic answers. “Easy enough to check, but first let's look around for some grub.”

“We're not stealing food!” Sonic protests before anyone else can reply.

Manic rolls his eyes. “Bro, there is literally no one here, and judging by the robot army next door, I'd say it's a safe bet that no one will be coming back anytime soon. Plus, I'm hungry.”

“Stealing is wrong,” Sonic argues.

“And trespassing isn't?” Manic counters. “How about breaking and entering? And what about the Emeralds? We're stealing those. Unless you plan on just asking nicely? 'Hello, yes, Mr. Robotnik? We know you're awfully busy conquering our city and all, but could you please give us your Chaos Emeralds? We'd be ever so grateful!'” He snorts. “Please, get real.”

Sonic draws himself up and crosses his arms. “That's different and you know it.”

Manic mirrors his brother's stance. “Yeah, I can look like a condescending tool too,” he snarls, before putting his hands on his hips. “We need to eat, and y'all need better weapons. Rice cakes and wrenches are fine if that's all we have, but if we can find real food and weapons? A gun? _Several_ guns?”

Sonic hesitates. “Weapons might be a good idea,” he concedes. “But we're not stealing anything we don't need.”

“We _need_ better food,” Manic points out. “Shall we put it to a vote?”

Sonic scowls. “Fine.”

Manic nods and turns to the others. “Show of hands, who here wants to find something to eat before we go next door?”

Rouge's hand is up first, quickly followed by Shadow's. Sonic gives each of them a hurt look, but it has nothing on the betrayal in his eyes when Knuckles raises his hand. He gives Sonic an apologetic look, but he doesn't hesitate, making it four out of nine. Shadow glances at Amy and sees the indecision in her eyes. She's wavering. He nudges her to get her attention, and when she looks at him he nods his head toward Manic. She chews on her lip and glances away, clearly torn. In the dim light he can see the terror and determination in her features. Muck is splattered on her arms, legs, and the front of her shirt. There's grime in her hair, probably from running a hand through it. It makes him wonder what his own hair looks like, and he shudders at the thought. Still, even covered in filth, he finds her beautiful. He wants to say something, but Manic speaks up first.

“Alright, then it's decided. Let's find something to eat. Be sure to stick together, we don't want any patrols finding someone on their own.”

Surprised, Shadow looks up to see Sonic glaring at Blaze.

“Sorry Sonic, but he has a point. We can't fight on empty stomachs,” she says, and Sonic sighs. He reluctantly falls in as the group starts looking for the nearest unit.

The first apartment they search doesn't have much in the way of anything, and neither does the second. Or third. By the fourth, all they've found of use is a hammer. It's beginning to look like the entire building had been cleaned out, but in the sixth unit their luck changes. Where the other apartments had given the impression of people with time to pack, this one looks as if the owner left in a hurry. There's a foul smell in the air, which almost makes them turn back, but they decide to check it out anyway.

In the dining area, they find a half-eaten meal that looks like it was abandoned on the day of the blast. Most of the food in the kitchen has gone bad, but there's a box of protein bars in the pantry and enough non-perishables to scrounge up a half-decent meal. As Manic and Amy improvise in the kitchen, Shadow ventures further into the apartment. Amy has the hammer, and Knuckles has a set of brass knuckles, but everyone else is using improvised weapons. The first place he checks is the hall closet, thinking maybe he'll luck out and find some sporting equipment. Instead he finds a box labelled 'Camping Supplies', which he brings to the others to look through while he continues searching. The smell is stronger down the hall as he approaches the door at the end. He swallows, and can't tell whether breathing through his mouth is better or worse. He hesitates, because whatever lurks behind that door isn't going to be good.

Shadow opens the door and is almost bowled over by the wave of fetid air that hits him. He nearly chokes. The odour is so overwhelming that it takes him a minute to see what he's stumbled upon, and then he does see and the smell is forgotten. He gags, swallows repeatedly in an effort not to be sick.

Through the door is a good sized bedroom with cheerful wallpaper. There's a picture of a small family on the bedside table, and their happy smiles mock Shadow. On the floor by his feet is a cordless phone, broken into many pieces as if it were violently thrown. And, of course, there's the blood. Shadow focuses on these things, clings to them, because anything is better than the bed, than the thing Shadow is trying to ignore. His eyes drift to it of their own volition and he has to swallow another wave of nausea. It's just a body, he tells himself as his breath comes quicker. Just a body, and something moving. Maggots: a thick, writhing mass of them covering the cavernous remains of what had once been someone's head. He swallows futilely in the face of rising bile. What he can see past the maggots is hard to make out. A jagged mess of shrapnel and flesh. He begins to hyperventilate and he takes a deep breath to calm himself. A mistake. His body convulses forward as his stomach empties itself, again and again, until he's left dry heaving on the floor.

After what feels like years, he pulls himself to his feet, intent on leaving this horror show and preventing anyone else from stumbling in on it. And then he sees it, cradled in the hands of what he can't bring himself to think of as a former person. A weapon. A _shotgun_. Something that would potentially be _very_ effective when fighting robots.

Indecision wars. Everything inside him is screaming, telling him to get the hell out of here and never look back, but... he licks his lips. Aziza needs him. _His mother_ needs him. She _is_ his mother, and no files can tell him otherwise. His eyes sting. He takes a step further into the room. The air is gross with decay and he pulls his shirt over the lower half of his face to filter it; now it's gross with filth, but that's an improvement. He takes another step. Deep breaths. His hands shake. A third step, and he's there. He’s dizzy, feels his stomach prepare another attempt to empty itself. No! It's not real. None of this is real. It's a nightmare, and any second now he's going to wake up in his bed, Aziza will run in and hold him close and tell him that dreams can't hurt him. He swallows more bile and reaches out a tentative hand. His fingers are shaking so bad that it takes him three tries to actually get a grip on the gun. And then he has it. He clutches it in trembling hands and backs out of the room, unable to tear his eyes away from the grisly scene until he bumps into the wall. Once he does he slips through the door and slams it shut behind him.

Out in the hall he doesn't wake up. It's twilight now, and he wonders how long he was in there. He needs air. He needs to get away from that room, from the image that's seared into his eyes. He starts walking and is distantly aware of someone calling his name. Air. _Clean_ air. He's opening the main door to the apartment when a dainty hand wraps around his wrist.

“Shadow? What's wrong?” Amy asks in her sugar-sweet voice.

He looks at her and feels a twang of guilt deep in his gut. He's bringing her into danger. What if it had been her on the bed? He can almost see it, and the very idea pierces his heart and pins him in place. He needs to get her out of this. But how? The only safe way out of this building is through the tunnels, and sending her down there alone would be cruel at best. He could ask her to wait here, but what if a patrol came through?

His mind races as he attempts to find a solution, but there isn't one. There also isn't time. Worrying won't do anyone any good, but the images won't go away. Amy, bruised and bloody with lifeless eyes staring their accusations at him. Amy, choking and burnt, dying at the hands of a robot. Amy, covered in maggots and only identifiable by her clothing, laying undisturbed in that bed for days and days. Because of Shadow. Because he brought her here. He sinks to his knees, shotgun slipping unnoticed from his hands. Dimly, something echoes in the back of his mind, some biological imperative that he can't ignore. Air. He takes a deep, shuddering breath. They could just go back, get Amy away from here as a group. Aziza replaces Amy in the images and he can't stop a choked sob from escaping. Arms wrap around him, holding him in an iron grip. His fingers grip at them spasmodically, and he can't tell if he's trying to fight them off or trying to hold himself up.

Sunday, November 28th, 6:57pm, Silky Heights Apartments

Amy holds Shadow and wonders what's come over him. As gently as she can manage, she guides his head to her shoulder. He clings to her like a life raft and that scares her. The fact that he's crying scares her even more. At some point, Manic comes around the corner, but he takes one look and turns around, shooing whoever’s with him back into the kitchen. Amy alternates between stroking Shadow's hair and rubbing his back, and eventually his shaking subsides. He pulls away and looks her over, his eyes unreadable. He’s cold, distant. That's okay, though. That's how he always looks, after all. Amy gives him a warm smile and he responds by gently cupping her cheek. She leans into his hand, and it looks like he wants to say something. Instead, he gets to his feet and helps her to her own, then leads her into the kitchen. There are protein bars, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, rice cakes, crackers, and dry cereal. There's also an open can of uncooked ravioli, but Manic seems to be the only one eating it.

As everyone eats, Shadow goes over the weapons the others found in the kitchen, living room, and camping box. The steak knives he dismisses immediately, pointing out that they're much to flimsy to be viable robot-fighting weapons. He also dismisses a broom and mop for similar reasons. After some debate, he adds a battery-operated hand drill to the splitting axe and machete from the camping box. An encyclopedia earns a raised eyebrow before being dismissed. In the end they have very few weapons, but it'll have to do. Shadow takes the shotgun and machete, then finishes eating while everyone else divvies up the weapons. For her part, Amy decides to stick with her amusement park hammer. Manic declines every single weapon, which is only surprising until he reveals the contents of his bag, which earns shocked looks from everyone else.

“You brought a gun?” Amy asks, bewildered. Manic just shrugs.

“Where did you even get a gun?” Sonic asks, and when Amy glances his way she notices that his face has lost all colour.

“I, ah, found it?” Manic tries, and everyone just stares. He fidgets uncomfortably under the attention until Shadow cuts him a break.

“At least one of us had the sense to bring a real weapon,” he says, before returning to his food. Amy wonders if he notices the grateful look Manic shoots his way.

Except, a thought occurs to Amy. “But, wouldn't a gun be too loud if we're trying to be stealthy?”

“We're trying to avoid a fight if we can help it,” Shadow answers with a shrug. “If we have to use it, we're already in a bad way.”

After eating and selecting their weapons, it's time to come up with a plan to actually infiltrate the lair. With the sun fully down it's quite dark in their building, but they don't dare turn on their flashlights. Lights would be notable coming from the gloom of an abandoned building, and they don't want to draw attention to themselves. Groping around through the darkness eventually leads them to a staircase, which takes them onto the roof. From there they can clearly make out their destination, mostly because it's lit up like a Christmas tree. Every window is lit and the exterior lighting makes it bright as day on the streets, rendering it impossible to get close. Amy watches as Shadow, Sonic, Rouge, and Manic scan the building for inspiration.

“We can get in through there,” Shadow announces, pointing at a broken window two floors from the top of the building and earning startled looks form everyone.

Sonic is the first to object. “Shadow,” he says, “how in the heck are we supposed to reach it? In case you hadn't noticed, it's on the seventh floor, and I don't see any ladders.”

“Simple,” Shadow answers. “We find a window across from it, and we jump.”

“That's a terrible idea!” Sonic protests, and Amy agrees with him. “Not everyone is as athletic as us, someone could get hurt.”

Shadow shrugs. “I'll go first and catch anyone who can't quite make it on their own.”

“And what if there are guards in that room?” Sonic tries, but Rouge has an answer for that.

“There weren't any when I went in there, and judging by the fact that the window hasn't been covered or repaired in any way I'd say it's a safe bet that no one has been in there since.” Amy nods, because that's reassuring.

“Or it's a trap,” Manic points out. Less reassuring.

“I'll take my chances,” Shadow responds dryly.

Sonic makes a few more token protests, but he comes around when he realizes there aren't really any other options, then they search the dark building until they find a good window to jump from. When they do, Amy is struck by the reality of what they're about to do. She can't do this! Jumping ten feet across just doesn't seem like something she can do, even if her destination is a few feet lower than her.

Shadow crosses first with no trouble, which is all the more impressive because he's carrying her hammer, but that's different. Shadow is athletic! And Amy is... well, she was athletic in elementary school, but that was a long time ago!

“C'mon, Ames, you can do this,” Sonic says in his most reassuring voice. Amy swallows. Shadow is gesturing for her to join him. Her heart is racing as she climbs onto the window sill, crouching in the frame. “Good, see? Now you just need to kick off as hard as you can.” She chews on her bottom lip. This is a terrible idea. She looks down, an even worse idea. She's never been afraid of heights before, but it's a long way to the pavement. Even if the fall doesn't kill her, the dozen or so robots guarding the alley certainly will. All it would take to ruin everything is for one of them looking up at the wrong moment....

A steady hand on her back brings her attention back to herself, and she glances over to see Sonic giving her an encouraging smile and a thumbs up. She returns his smile and nods, thinking how right now, it's easy to remember why she'd been so smitten with him for so long. He pulls his hand away and fear returns far too quickly. She's so scared she thinks she might throw up, but she removes her hands from their spots on the window frame and kicks against her perch as hard as she can. She hurtles through the air. The wind tears at her hair and she's free, free like she's never been before. All her fear turns to giddiness and she wants to laugh. Shadow is standing in the far window and he reaches out toward her. She catches his hand with her own and is only just able to brace herself with her feet against the outer wall, preventing herself from swinging into it too hard. Shadow pulls her inside and against him, holding her close.

“You did wonderfully,” he whispers before releasing her and resuming his post at the window. Amy glances around the room while they wait. It looks like it was once an ordinary hotel room, but now the only thing in it is a single, large computer. Well, that and their weapons in a pile near Shadow. Strange tubing runs out of the computer and along the ceiling, leaving the room through a hole above the door.

A clattering sound brings Amy's attention back to the window, which Rouge is climbing in through with a hand from Shadow. “My hero,” she all but purrs, laying a hand on his chest and giving him a saucy wink.

Shadow grunts and pushes Rouge off of him. “Remind me to drop you next time.”

Rouge laughs at that. “Loving as ever, I see.” She turns to Amy, striding over and shaking her head. “I just don't know what you see in him.”

“He's nice,” Amy says defensively, earning derisive snorts from both of them. She sees the tips of Shadow's ears go red, though.

Next at the window is Manic, whose foot slips halfway through and causes him to start falling back out. Shadow catches Manic by the shirt before Amy can even react. There's the distinct sound of fabric ripping as Shadow yanks his friend to safety, and when Manic stumbles in he has to catch himself on Shadow for a moment.

“Seems I've fallen for you,” Manic teases.

“Is everyone going to hit on me when I catch them?” Shadow responds with a scowl. “Because I'm not catching anyone else if this is going to be a thing.”

“I didn't hit on you,” Amy offers helpfully, earning a scornful look.

“ _You_ I wouldn't have minded,” he says flatly, earning cackles from Manic and Rouge as Amy flushes.

Next through the window is Blaze, who waves Shadow's hand away when he offers to help her through. Then comes Knuckles, whose only struggle is squeezing his broad shoulders through the window. Silver makes it, but only just. The real trouble comes when Tails' foot slips as he's kicking off, giving him far less force than he needs. With a curse, Shadow throws himself out the window as far as he safely can, gripping the inside of the frame as tight as he can manage with just the fingertips of his left hand. Again, Amy is astounded by how fast he moves when motivated, almost like his reflexes kick in _before_ something happens. She watches as Shadow just barely catches one of Tails' hands in his own, and the sudden weight combined with the momentum jerks him a bit further out the window. Amy's heart leaps to her throat as the hand on the frame slips. Time seems to slow to a crawl as Shadow is pulled out through the window, and without thinking Amy lunges, wrapping her arms around his waist and bringing her foot up against the wall to brace herself. The combined weight of him _and_ Tails is too much and she starts slipping. No! Mustering up all of her strength, Amy heaves. She shifts her weight into leaning backwards, puts all her strength into pushing against the wall with her foot.

Something hard crashes into Amy's back at the same time as an incredible weight crushes her chest, driving all of her breath out and leaving her dazed. She's dimly aware of a commotion around her, but it's so hard to focus. The weight on her chest makes breathing impossible but after a beat it lessens and then is gone. So why is it still so hard to breathe?

Amy's view of the ceiling is cut off by Shadow's face. “Amy?” His voice is thick with worry, and she smiles at him to show she's okay. She opens her mouth to reply, but winds up coughing instead. A sharp pain blossoms in her chest and then branches off and seeps into the rest of her. She curls in on herself, hoping to hold the pain in one area. Shadow curses. His hands hover just above her, unsure of what they should be doing.

“What's wrong with Amy?” Sonic asks from the window.

“Shadow and Tails landed on her when she pulled them in,” Blaze answers, and Shadow winces. His fingers are very gentle as they stroke her hair.

“We can go back, if you want,” he offers, voice too soft for the others to hear.

Amy blinks at him. Go back? “What? No!” She struggles to sit up, slapping away Shadow's hands when he makes a move to assist her. Everyone is staring, but she doesn't care. “Are you out of your mind? After everything we just went through, I am not going to make the others turn back!” It hurts her chest to scold him, but it's not nearly as bad as coughing was.

“I don't care about the others,” he hisses, voice still low enough to prevent anyone more than a foot away from hearing. “I care about _you_ , and I will not risk you any more than necessary.” Shadow's venomous tone is at complete odds with his words, and for a moment it throws Amy.

“That's not really your choice to make,” she replies, making an effort to be quieter. They glare at each other for a moment before the heat in Shadow's eyes is replaced by familiar cold.

“Of course,” he says in a much softer tone, as if trying to make up for his previous roughness. “As long as you're sure.”

Amy isn't sure, not really, but she will not waste all of their effort! She suppresses a groan as she gets to her feet. Breathing comes more easily now, but it's still agony. No! She will be strong! She has to be! She does her best to ignore the pain as she grabs her weapon. She can do this! Somehow, she convinces the others that she's good to keep going.

Before they head out, Manic embraces Sonic with a quick “stay safe, bro,” then gives him a set of directions. After that he addresses the group. “Remember guys, we need to stick together. If you've gotta split up, be sure to use the buddy system, we don't wanna be taking unnecessary risks. And, above all else, try to be fast.”

Sonic shoots Manic a grin as his group heads into the hallway. “Relax, bro. They don't call me the blue blur for nothing!” For a moment Manic just watches Sonic's group leaving with a funny look.

“No one calls you that!” he finally shouts after them as they start rounding a corner, and then the smaller group is leaving too.

By the time they find their staircase Amy hears fighting. Down the stairs they go, dispatching the guards they come across with ease. Shadow takes three out with his shotgun before running out of shells, and he leaps onto a fourth, lashing out with his machete. When she had seen him fight before, he'd seemed made for it even as he was losing, but the addition of a weapon in his hands puts that to shame. The robot goes down like it's nothing, and they continue on. They take the stairs two and even three at a time in their haste to reach Aziza, and then they reach the basement. It's dark, especially compared to the stairwell. She closes her eyes and tries to suppress her anxiety. There’s still light, it's fine. That the lights are dim and flickering is also fine. Amy's fine. It isn't endless, impenetrable darkness. She can do this. She’s _fine_.

She hears the metallic clanking of robotic feet; too many. Up ahead she sees a troop of the bulbous robots from Twinkle Park rounding a corner. There are at least a dozen of them and her fight or flight kicks in. She's running in the opposite direction before she realizes it, sprinting past Shadow and Manic as fast as her legs will carry her and disappearing into the darkness. Her ribs ache and it hurts to breathe but she needs to get out. She takes turn after turn, not even trying to keep track of where she is so long as it's _away_. She runs until she can't hear the robots and then she keeps running. She doesn't stop until she has to, and then she doubles over and clutches her chest, gasping and panting. Someone comes to a stop next to her. Shadow. His forehead is slick with sweat and he also seems to be winded. Manic is nowhere to be seen.

Amy's breath returns, and with it her senses. She looks around, takes in the damp and musty halls. There aren't even any of those weird pipes along the ceiling, but there's the faint sound of alarms in the distance. Shadow curses, and Amy knows they're running out of time. Guilt stabs at her. Her panic messed everything up, and if they don't get Aziza back, it will be her fault. When Shadow starts a light jog back the way they came, Amy keeps her mouth shut and follows. The activity burns her lungs and ribs, but she deserves it. Turn after turn they take, and Amy feels more lost by the second. Shadow seems to know the way, though, and for that she's grateful. In short order, they find themselves back where they started. From the staircase comes the piping, heading through the flickering shadows in the direction the robots had been. There's no sign of Manic, so they follow the pipes. Manic is smart, he'll be able to find them.

Eventually they pass an intersection, only to hear a familiar voice. “Shadow, Ames!” A wave of relief seizes Amy: she'd recognize Manic's voice anywhere. She returns to the intersection. There's a familiar humming noise but it barely registers. She rounds the corner and sees Manic jogging up with a huge grin. There he is, not even ten feet from them! She raises her arm to wave at him, and Shadow curses, begins dragging her away. There's a popping sound, and then Manic is backlit by a brilliant flash of light.

Sunday, November 28th, 7:43pm, Robotnik's Lair

After splitting from the others, Sonic and his group head to their destination, not bothering with stealth. The more guards they attract the less the smaller group will have to deal with, which is good. Sonic knows Amy well enough to know when she's lying, so despite her claims at being fine he knows she's hurting, but all that does is motivate him to be a better distraction. Of course, fighting so many robots means their progress is slower, and if there's one thing Sonic hates it's going slow. Still, he bears it for the others.

They manage to fight their way into the Emerald room without injury. It's spacious with a large machine in the centre, just like Manic told him it would be. The machine makes a loud, whirring, thrumming sound, and seems to be powered by the two Emeralds inside it, one a vibrant shade of red and the other an intense cobalt blue. All the pipes along the ceiling lead into the machine, as do more pipes along the floor and walls. Although only two Emeralds power the machine, there are spaces for seven.

A ring of guards surrounds the machine, their weapons already raised and further filling the room with a soft hum that's barely audible above the rest of the noise. Sonic charges the closest one, confident that his friends will have his back. He smashes the robot with the wooden baseball bat they'd found in one of the apartments and manages to dent its armour. Maybe a bat isn't the best weapon, but it suits Sonic more than anything else they'd found. Around him his friends swarm, striking at robots with their own weapons. At some point, he winds up back to back with Blaze, whose creative use of tent pegs is proving to be quite formidable. Knuckles is also doing quite well, showing them all just how devastating even a small hammer can be when used with enough force. Tails and Silver are proving to be the most impressive members of the group, though; Silver gets up in the robots' space and uses the shower curtain he insisted was a viable weapon to distract them and push them into optimal positions, and Tails uses the openings to get up close and get to work with a hand drill and a wrench. Sonic can’t say what exactly it is his friend is doing, but whatever it is, it leaves them in shambles. Some shut down completely, others find their armour and limbs falling off, and a very few go haywire and start firing at their fellow robots. It may not be as efficient as bashing them to pieces but it certainly works!

For a brief moment, Sonic wonders where Rouge is in all this as he hasn't seen her since the fighting started, but the answer comes soon enough. The power supply cuts off completely, plunging the room into darkness. The sudden silence is all-consuming, but it lasts less than a second before the back-up generator kicks in, causing light to return and an alarm to sound. Sonic isn't sure if the machine is still working, but he can't hear it. That could be a result of the alarm, though. He sees Rouge by the machine tucking something into her bags, and then she hops into the fray. Between kicks and the small hatchet she's wielding, she manages to cut her way through guard after guard, leaving gaping holes that spray showers of sparks in the metal plating of every foe she encounters.

Once they're reasonably grouped up, the six of them start making their way out of the building. They're about halfway out when Sonic feels it: A sudden and complete emptiness, like something’s grabbing onto his heart and ripped a piece of it out. He feels... incomplete. He stumbles, cold.

Something is very wrong.

Sunday, November 28th, 8:32pm, Robotnik's Lair

Shadow hears the hum before he hears Manic, and when he turns the corner he swears. Because standing behind Manic is a robotic guard, weapons raised and nearly finished charging. One points at Manic's head, the other settles on Amy. Time slows for him, but there’s still no way he can get to Manic fast enough. He can save Amy, though. He has to save Amy. He grabs her by the waist and starts running as the area is bathed in light and filled with a telltale popping sound. A ball of light flies past Shadow and Amy, something heavy drops to the ground behind them, and Shadow activates his skates.

Amy is screaming now, struggling, writhing to get free from Shadow's grasp. He tightens his grip and her nails dig painfully into his flesh, raking deep grooves in his arms. She kicks at his legs and nearly succeeds in toppling him, all the while begging for them to go back.

“Turn around! Turn _around_! What about Manic? He could be hurt! We have to go back! Turn around!”

Her pleas fall on deaf ears. It's too late for Manic, he knows it is, but he can still get Amy out of here before anything happens to her. His heart clenches and twists, and tears threaten to blind him, but he can't go back until Amy is safe. Maybe Manic survived, maybe the sound of a body hitting the floor was Manic playing dead, and as soon as the robot leaves he'll make a break for it. Manic is a survivor, after all. That's what his stories are always about. Survival. But even as Shadow thinks it, he knows it to be untrue. Amy tries kicking his injured leg again, and he yanks her up and over his shoulder. She thrashes violently.

“Shadow, please,” she sobs. “We have to go back!”

She grabs at everything they pass, clawing at doorways and gripping every handhold she can find. When there's nothing to grab she goes back to thrashing, kicking her legs and pounding his back with her fists. He continues to ignore her.

When they're out of the lair her struggles die down, until she's laying limp across his shoulder. He can't hear her crying, but he can feel the sobs wracking her body. When they're far enough away to satisfy him, Shadow lets her down, lowering her to her feet as gently as he can manage. She's a wreck. Her hands cover her face and tracks of tears cut through the grime and blood on her fingers. His blood, and hers. Her fingernails are chipped and broken from clawing at the walls, with one of them missing entirely. Her sobs are dying down, but the tears don't show any signs of letting up.

“Amelia, do you think you can walk?” She doesn't seem to hear him. “Amy?” He tugs her hands from her face, but when she opens her eyes, she just stares through him. No sparks of recognition, just blank, dull green irises in an unresponsive, tear-streaked face. Panic threatens to choke him and he doesn't know what to do. Haltingly, he pulls her close, wrapping his arms around her. It's like hugging a statue. “Amy, please,” he whispers into her hair. “Come back, please. I can't— I need—” he pauses to swallow. “I'm scared.” He hates acknowledging his fear, admitting his shortcomings, but even more than that he hates seeing Amy so broken. Right now, in this moment, he would admit every fear and insecurity and shortcoming to Sonic himself if he thought it would help her. “I need you, Amy.” Nothing. He feels lost, alone, and while there was once a time where that was all he wanted, now it’s an all-consuming maw inside of him, devouring any good feelings he’s ever had, could ever have. The rest of the walk to Manic's house is silent.

“Where's Manic?” Sonic asks as soon as they open the door. Shadow swallows. What does he say to that? He's spared having to answer by Amy letting out a wail and sliding to the ground. She sobs, loud and long, and when they finally manage to calm her down she looks at them with hollow eyes.

“Manic's dead,” she answers. “Shadow left him to die.”

Shadow feels his blood run cold. “No,” he breathes when Sonic turns to him with wide eyes. “No, that’s not- I didn't, I....” But he _did_ , didn't he?

“You did,” Amy responds, voice cold. “You left him and you ran.”

“I—” Shadow chokes on his words. She's right. But, no! No, he'd had to, there was no other way. “There was nothing else I could do.”

“You could have tried!” she snaps.

“If I had, then you'd both—” Shadow snaps back, cutting himself off at the end because he can't bring himself to say it, can't confirm what he knows. “Amy,” he pleads. “I had to.”

Sonic is blinking at them. “Shadow? What is she talking about?” His voice says he knows, though, and he's looking at Shadow as if really seeing him for first time.

Shadow swallows and tries to detach himself from it, tries to make his feelings belong to someone else. He should have tried harder to push Manic away; if they hadn't been friends then this wouldn't have happened. “A guard came up behind him,” he answers, his voice almost clinical. A doctor saying ‘you have cancer’: Cold and impersonal and life-shattering. “By the time I saw it, it was too late.” If it sounds like he doesn't care, then so be it. He can't let himself feel this, not right now. Maybe not ever. Feelings are weakness, and he can no longer afford to indulge in them.

Sonic's face scrunches up in an effort not to cry. “But, did you really not even try?”

Shadow fights to keep the words from touching him. His expression doesn't crack. “Trying would have been pointless, there was no way I could’ve reached him in time.” It hurts to admit his failure, but he reminds himself that it isn't his pain. The feeling skirts the edge of his awareness. He wonders if they understand, if they realize that he would have saved Manic if he could have.

“So you didn't even bother?” Sonic demands.

“No. If I did, Amelia would have been lost too. I had a split second to react, and I did what I had to.” Shadow waits for Sonic to hit him, almost hopes he does. If Sonic hits him, then he can hit Sonic back, and he needs the distraction. Anything to keep his mind off of Manic's last moments. He'd probably felt nothing but confusion, betrayal, and pain.

Sonic doesn't punch Shadow, or yell at him, or lash out. Instead he sinks to the floor alongside Amy and buries his face in his hands.

“I've gotta... I need... I just... why? Why _him_?” He begins rocking back and forth, and Shadow can only stare. It's not right to see Sonic so defeated. Him, or Amy.

Shadow hesitates before crouching down next to Amy and brushing his fingers across her cheek. She flinches at the contact. “I did what I had to,” he whispers. “Please believe me, your safety is everything.”

She starts sobbing again. “No,” she whispers so faintly he almost doesn't catch it. He starts stroking her hair. She'll understand in time, he's sure of it. She's clever, and stronger than she gives herself credit for. Once she calms down—

“I hate you,” she sobs, just as softly. Shadow freezes and the detached facade crumbles at his feet.

“Amy?” His voice cracks on her name, but he doesn't care. Surely he heard her wrong, surely she doesn't mean it.

Her whole body is shaking as tears continue to stream from her eyes. He pulls her into his arms and feels a lump forming in his throat. She buries her face in his chest. “It's your fault,” she cries, even as she clings to him.

“You don't mean that,” he tells her, hoping that speaking the words aloud will make them true.

“I do.”

“Amelia, please. I had to get you out of there. I had to save you. I couldn't bear to lose you both. I can barely—”

She shakes her head. “I hate you,” she repeats. His stomach churns, and he holds her tighter. She's just upset, she doesn't mean it. He repeats the words as a mantra in his head. I hate you. She's just angry. It's your fault. She doesn't mean it. “Just leave me alone,” she whispers. Her words cut him to the bone. This was why he didn’t let people in, this is what happens when you do.

“Amy, please,” he begins, but she doesn't want to hear it.

“Go away,” she tells him.

“Amy—”

“Get out.”

He laughs at that, and holds her at arm's length. She refuses to meet his eyes. “Are you serious? No. Look, let's just take some time to calm down, and—”

“Go!” she shouts, wrenching herself the rest of the way away. Some of the others emerge from down the hall, and it's clear they were woken up by Amy. “Leave! Get lost! _Go_!” she screams.

She's serious, Shadow realizes. She means it. She hates him for killing Manic. Something breaks inside him. “Fine!” he snaps. “I'll go, if that's what you want. But,” he storms past her to where they'd hidden the green Emerald. He feels it singing to him. “I'm taking this.” Even as he grabs it, all his thoughts are on getting out.

“Shadow?” Rouge begins, but Shadow is focused on leaving. He needs to get out of here before anyone can hurt him further. This is what he gets for letting people in. There's a brilliant flash of light, and he vanishes from the kitchen. He doesn't see Amy collapse in on herself in a sobbing heap behind him.

This time, he's prepared for the feeling of being squeezed and twisted as everything around him shifts. He's also prepared for the pain, but it never comes. The world shifts and he's in his mother's cell. He's done it. If he weren't still so overwhelmed by the pain of losing two of the people he cares about, he’d be exultant. As it is, the victory feels hollow.

He opens his mouth to say something to his mother, but is cut off by a voice he'd recognize anywhere. He'd only ever heard it the once, on a TV no less, but that had been enough to sear it into his memory forever. “Project Shadow, so good of you to join us.” He turns slowly, and sees Dr. Robotnik. He feels the fire growing in his chest. This man is directly responsible for all of Shadow's troubles. He bombed the city, captured Aziza, attacked them with robots, and killed Manic. “I must say, I'm a bit disappointed. Once the Emeralds were taken I thought for sure you'd come straight here, but no matter.”

Shadow clenches his fists. He's going to kill this man! But first, priorities. He adopts his most arrogant sneer. “Sorry to disappoint, Doctor. I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm a bit busy. Perhaps later?” He wraps an arm around his mother as he speaks, holds onto her tight, and focuses on getting them away. This time the pain does come, stabbing through his body and tearing him apart from the inside. It fades quickly, though, and once it does he finds himself in Manic's yard with Aziza by his side.

“ _Habibi_ , where did you learn this?” she asks in a shaken voice, and Shadow cringes. He doesn't want to answer that just yet; once he does, she won't be his mother anymore. Until he mentions the files, he can pretend.

“Go inside, you'll be safe here,” he tells her instead.

“ _Habibi_?”

He can't lose her too. “I have something I have to do. I'll come back for you after.”

Fear flashes in her eyes. “No! You must not go for Robotnik! He is clever, you do not underestimate him!”

Shadow smiles at her, but it's a bitter smile. “I have to,” he tells her. “Stay safe, mum.”

Before she can say another word, he's gone. Again, he teleports to Robotnik's lair. The pain is even worse this time; maybe not the agony of the first time, but still overwhelming. He has no idea how long he's incapacitated for, but when he comes too, it's with the target of his hatred crouching over him.

“Honestly, Shadow, three large Chaos Controls? It's a wonder you're still alive.”

Shadow growls and lunges at the scientist, only to be hit in the back by something white hot. He screams.

Robotnik clucks his tongue like a disapproving parent. “Now now, don't be so rash. I think you'll find we have a common interest.” Shadow tries to stand, but he can't feel his legs. His back is on fire and a stab of fear lodges in his chest, but he pushes the pain and emotions down. It's surprisingly easy. All that matters is getting rid of this man.

“And what's that?” he asks, stalling while he tries to force his legs to just _move_.

“Maria,” Robotnik answers, and Shadow freezes. It's one thing to read about her in some file, but quite another to have someone else mention her, confirm her existence. Robotnik grins, clearly satisfied with Shadow's reaction. He reaches into the pocket of his coat and pulls out an old photo, tattered at the edges and faded with age. “She was my cousin, you see. Such an innocent girl.” He hands Shadow the picture. The face that haunts his dreams smiles at him, frozen in time. “I've devoted much of my life to finding out what happened up there, finding out who killed her, all in the hopes of avenging that poor, sweet child.”

Shadow's hands tremble. “And?”

“And now I have a list of all the people involved in the incident. All the soldiers who helped shut down the ARK, and all those who were in command at the time.” Shadow feels something surge inside of him. He needs that list. “What do you say, Shadow? Will you help me in my quest?”

Shadow tries again to stand up, but his legs won't move. “I fail to see what I can do in my present condition.”

Robotnik grins. “I can have you walking again by tomorrow,” he replies. Shadow raises an eyebrow, because frankly that's a bit hard to believe. “There are ways to heal the body with Chaos Control, if you know how. I can teach you.”

Shadow nods. Perhaps there's more to gain from this man than revenge. He doesn't trust Robotnik in the slightest, but.... “I'm in.”

Shadow can work with the scientist for now, for Maria. And then once he's done, he can kill the man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about Manic. If it helps, I wrote an au in which Shadow likes him instead of Amy, and instead of the city getting bombed they just kiss a lot. I figured Manic deserves a happy ending. You can find that au [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25580257), if you're interested. Regardless, I give you permission to yell at me in the comments.
> 
> That being said, it would super make my day to receive fanart of Silver fighting robots with a shower curtain. Like, for real. That would be the actual best.
> 
> I'm also on [twitter](https://twitter.com/GreatMollinski), which I meant to say chapters and chapters ago.


	15. Chapter 14 - This power is a key, this power changes me

Monday, November 29th, 7:06am, Robotnik's Lair

Shadow wakes up in what looks like a fancy hotel room. The power is on, which is a little jarring after a week without it. He looks around the room to get his bearings and freezes when his eyes reach the seating area. There, lounging on a couch, phone plugged into a nearby outlet, is Manic. For a moment, time suspends, and then Manic looks up and Shadow's heart clenches.

“Oh, you're up,” the skinny teen observes, dropping his phone and standing up. He stretches as if nothing is wrong, and Shadow feels lost.

“How?” he asks, and Manic cocks his head to the side with a frown. Then he laughs, but there's no warmth in it.

“You're really something, aren't you?” he says, ignoring the question. “I mean, fuck me right? I trailed after you for years, like some sort of lost puppy, and you? You never even _looked_ at me. And I always told myself that that was fine, that we were friends in our own way, but that was a lie. You were so cool on your fucking pedestal and I was _nothing_.” He rakes a hand through his hair, completely dishevelling the spikes he always wears it in. Shadow wants to protest, but there are no arguments to be made. “Not that it matters,” Manic continues. “You left me for dead in some damp, smelly basement. Didn't even look back, did you? Just grabbed Amy and left. So, I guess you showed me. You were more interested in getting your dick wet than saving my life.”

Rage builds inside Shadow, but he tries to push it down. He _is_ the one in the wrong, after all. That doesn't mean he can't defend himself, though. “I didn't have a choice!” he argues, earning a scoff from Manic.

“You did, actually. You could have looped around and come back for me. Put me out of my misery if I was maimed, saved me if I wasn't. But you didn't, you just... left. You left, and I waited all night for you to come back like the idiot I am.”

Tears prick the corners of Shadow’s eyes, because he had been so sure. “I'm sorry,” he says, and something dark flashes in Manic's eyes.

“Oh, _now_ you care? Convenient fucking timing, asshole. Did Amy guilt you into it?” Shadow winces, and Manic snarls. “She fucking did! I died, and the only reason you care is because it's your fault,” he accuses, grabbing a cushion off the couch and throwing it as hard as he can. Shadow deflects the pillow with ease, but he can't deflect the words. How could he? Yes, he cares, but Manic's right. Not until the end, not until too late.

Except, it's not too late.

Shadow stumbles out of bed and across the room, catching Manic's shoulders in his hands and willing Manic to see the truth in his eyes. “I'm _sorry_ ,” he repeats. “I will never take you for granted again, okay? I'm an asshole, and a terrible friend, and I messed up, but if you forgive me I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

A humming sound fills the room and Manic laughs, revealing a ball of light in the back of his throat. “It's too late for that,” he tells Shadow. There's a popping noise, and Shadow just barely manages to dodge the light as it tears its way out of Manic's mouth, burning a hole through his jaw and his teeth. Shadow feels the bile rising in his throat as he watches Manic collapse lifelessly to the ground. He stumbles back a step, trips over something, and falls. When he sits up he's back in bed, and there are no other occupants in the room. Shadow gets to his feet shakily, still bushed from healing himself the night before, but he has to know. He retrieves his Emerald from the shelf he'd left it on and heads for the basement where he last saw Manic. The trip doesn't take nearly long enough, and when he reaches the familiar figure his hands are shaking. He drop to his knees, the bile rising in the back of his throat again as he takes note of the injury. The blackened, burnt crater at the back of Manic's neck doesn't go all the way through as it had in Shadow's dream, and that's more relieving than he would have expected. It's clear the blast severed Manic's spine and all connected nerves, and he hopes for his friend's sake it was instant, hopes he didn't spend agonizing minutes suffocating as his body refused to obey him.

Shadow rolls the body over and wonders if Manic really had felt betrayed in his final moments, if he had cursed Shadow for running. Eyes so dark they're nearly black gaze lifelessly out of the usually vibrant face. Never again will Manic invade Shadow's personal space. Never again will that familiar cackle startle him out of his thoughts. Manic is gone. As gently as he can, Shadow wipes some of the dirt off his friend's face. There's no reaction. Manic would have laughed about that, would have made a huge joke out of Shadow's delicate caress. Instead he just lays there, and Shadow's entire body shakes.

“Why did you even come here?” he demands, and a part of him is disappointed when he doesn't get an answer. “We're not even friends,” he accuses, but that isn't really true. Hasn't been for a while now. “I never asked you to talk to me.” Even his voice shakes. “Why couldn't you take the hint?” Those lifeless eyes haunt him, boring into his very soul. If he even has one. He slides them shut. There's no peace in Manic's expression, but there's no judgment either. There's nothing. Manic died, leaving his body and taking every last scrap of himself out of this world so that only a corpse remains.

Shadow doesn't realize that he's started slumping over until his head rests on Manic's chest. Half remembered conversations float through his mind, and he wishes he'd paid more attention when he'd had the chance. Or, maybe he wishes he'd paid less attention.

“You were so annoying.” Shadow's voice is a hoarse whisper. “Always invading my space, trying to get a rise out of me. Don't think I didn't know it was intentional, you're not as subtle as you think.” His fists have balled in the fabric of Manic's shirt and his tears are so thick and heavy that his eyes burn. “And you just kept _talking_ , telling me all sort of things that I didn't want to know. Do you really think I cared about any of it?” He knows his words would’ve hurt Manic, maybe even convinced him to leave Shadow alone. He should have said them before, then Manic would still be alive. He straightens up and scowls at his friend, but the anger fades and he finds himself pulling the husk of his friend into his arms, cradling Manic's head against his shoulder.

“What was so special about me that you kept coming back?” he asks, and still there's no answer. “Was I worth it?” His ragged breathing reverberates throughout his entire being. Manic will never again climb a sheer cliff face just to stand on the edge and feel alive, will never again sneak out and hitchhike to the next town over to see some shitty local band. He will never confide in Shadow again. Shadow makes a choking sound and presses his forehead to his friend's, clutching the lifeless body against his own. He starts rocking back and forth. Hot tears stream down his face, and he feels cold.

“You really are the biggest idiot, you know that right? Only an idiot would follow someone who never gave them the time of day into a place like this. What did I ever do for you? Nothing. I couldn't even save you, I didn't even _try_. If I could go back, I—”

A thought strikes him then, so hard he actually starts. He has a Chaos Emerald. He can _heal_. Robotnik had taught him how, had taught him two methods, even. One method heals by speeding up time in a very localized pocket, rapidly healing the injury. It's easy, but leaves scars and can't heal anything beyond the body's natural abilities. The other method is much harder, but it makes it so the injury never happened. It works by reversing the flow of time. It takes more energy, getting exponentially harder the older the injury is, but if he could manage it.... Shadow can barely contain the surging hope that blossoms in his chest. His hands shake for an altogether different reason as he takes out his Chaos Emerald. He can do this.

He closes his eyes and focuses his mind on what he's doing, tuning out all outer stimuli. This method of Chaos Healing will fail if his focus lapses even the tiniest bit. He feels the Chaos building up inside him like a horrible pressure. It's been hours since the injury was inflicted, but he can do this. The pressure continues to build, throbbing inside him, building up in his gut and skin and veins. He's almost there.

Pain. His blood starts to boil and he wants to scream. Heat burns him from the inside, the pressure is too much, but he's almost there. For an instant he _is_ Manic, and he feels the blackened flesh on the back of his neck retracting until there's no trace of the injury left, feels the nerves reconnecting and his heart sluggishly starting up again. The weak fluttering of Manic's heart and its slow increase of strength mirrors Shadow's growing hopes. He can do this! He flexes and the body in his lap flexes with him. He nearly loses his connection, but there's still something missing, some integral piece needed for life. Shadow tries to reach for it through the body, the last place that held the spark, but it's like trying to bore through rock using a feather. No matter how much he pushes, he can't get through. He tries to take more energy from the Emerald into himself, but each pull makes pain flare in his wrists and burn him more thoroughly than the Chaos coursing through his veins. He doesn't stop trying until the pain becomes unbearable, and then he collapses over the body in his lap, panting from exertion. Sweat soaks every inch of him, matting his hair and causing his clothes to cling to his body. He feels as though he's run a mile. While carrying boulders. Uphill.

Manic's pulse fades back to nothing. Shadow has failed.

Guilt chokes him and the sobs that tear their way out of him are so rough they hurt. Why hadn't he looped around and gone back? The Chaos Emerald slips unnoticed from Shadow's hand as he hugs his friend tighter, burying his face into Manic's lifeless chest and crying until he runs out of tears. He lets out his anguish until the pain leaves, along with his other feelings, until he is empty and emotionless. When the tears stop coming he presses a soft kiss to Manic's forehead. The skin is cold against his lips.

“You're in a better place,” he says. “This world is putrid and disgusting, and you were too good for it.” The words are hollow, a meaningless way to convince himself that everything is fine. Yes, he believes that the world is putrid, rotten to the core, but the idea of a better place... he only entertains the thought because the Chaos Emeralds had been equally unbelievable before he'd gotten his hands on one.

Shadow buries Manic's corpse at the top of a cliff overlooking the ocean, and while he does it he feels disconnected from reality. Perhaps he should have delivered the body to the others, but the idea seems almost cruel. He can tell them where the grave is later, after everything blows over. If it blows over. If they don't hate him forever. Or die. Maybe they'll never know. He marks the grave by filling the last two feet of it with sand and blasting it with Chaos energy until it melts into glass, and promises himself that he'll return as often as he can.

Monday, November 29th, 9:43am, Sonic's bedroom

When Amy wakes up, she’s in a place she's only ever dreamed of waking up: Sonic's room. She's sore all over and her eyes feel like sandpaper. She has no idea how she wound up in Sonic's bed, of all places. Then again, all of yesterday is a confusing blur. She remembers tunnels and a terrifying leap and Robotnik's lair. In fact, the last thing she remembers is—oh. Right. The last thing she remembers is watching Manic fall limply to the ground as Shadow dragged her away, and the dawning realization that her actions had gotten Manic killed. After that, everything is a blur of screaming and crying. She remembers Shadow carrying her, but can't recall where. Here? And she remembers arguing with him, but can't recall what they'd said. Perhaps that's why he isn't curled up with her now? She considers going back to sleep, _wants_ to go back to sleep. Wants to sleep forever and ever and never wake up.

But, she also wants to find Shadow and have him hold her and tell her everything is going to be okay. She may not know what they fought about, but it doesn't matter. She just needs him to hold her so she can feel safe and warm and loved. If she gets that, then everything will be okay.

Amy drags herself out of bed with a groan. Her chest aches, it's hard to breathe, and her fingers are so tender that it hurts to think of them. When she glances at her hand, she's surprised to see that some of her fingers have bandages around the tips. Looking at the ones that don't shows cracked and broken nails, as if she'd dragged them across something very hard and very rough. There is dirt under the remains of her nails, which isn't surprising, and blood, which is. She vaguely recalls clawing at Shadow's arm, and a coil of guilt makes itself at home in her stomach. Her desire to find Shadow increases. She has some apologizing to do.

When she exits the room she's relieved to find a figure at the dinner table, and at her approach the figure looks up. Thick waves of dark hair frame a copper face with high cheekbones, thick eyebrows, and a strong nose. Amy's heart skips a beat, and for a moment she sees ruby toned eyes instead of the umber ones that regard her. And then she speaks, and Amy realizes that this must be Aziza.

“You are Amy, yes?” she asks in a voice as rich as her son's. Similar in timbre, but the accent and tone are wrong. Amy nods. “Your friends went to... Tails?” Amy nods again, even as a thought occurs to her.

“I don't remember rescuing you, did Shadow go back?” Why that question should bring a look of anxiety to Aziza's features, Amy has no idea.

“Yes,” Aziza finally says in a wobbly voice, and when she speaks again her voice is thick with grief. “Where did he learn to use that? He should even not know of its reality! They will kill him and then call it mercy!” She starts babbling about Emeralds and Shadow and other stuff that Amy can't for the life of her decipher between the accent and the choked sobs.

“Aziza, please!” Amy cuts in, planting her hands on the older woman's shoulders and trying to steady her. When she gains Aziza's attention, she continues. “Where is Shadow?”

Aziza lets out another small sob. “I do not know,” she admits. “I worry for that, he is reckless.”

“Do you have any ideas?”

“He faces Robotnik since last night....”

Amy goes cold. The bright light streaming in through the windows indicates it's sometime in the afternoon. If he went to face the scientist last night... she needs to gather the others, they need to save him!

After insisting that Aziza stay behind in case Shadow turns up, Amy heads to Tails' workshop, since that's where her friends apparently went. On her way there she wishes her phone still worked, or that she had a radio, or _something_. When Tails answers the door he looks like a mess. His curly hair is in nasty tangles, his eyes are red, and the smile that had seemed to perpetually adorn his features in even the worst of circumstances is nowhere to be found. There's also something strange about the way his shirt drapes across his chest.

A throat clearing brings her back, and she's mortified to have been caught staring. “Ah! I didn't mean to stare, I'm sorry!”

“Oh, ah, no worries, it's, ah. It's fine, really. I'm just, ah, a little self-conscious, is all.” From the way he's standing—shoulders hunched and arms wrapped protectively around himself as if in an attempt to hide—Amy would say that's an understatement. “Not everyone is understanding about it, y'know?” Amy frowns, not entirely sure what Tails is talking about. Honestly, she isn't really sure what she had been looking at, though it feels like she ought to know if his reaction is anything to go by. “You know what? Never mind. I'm babbling.”

Amy furrows her brow, but nods. “Are the others here?”

Tails grimaces. “Rouge and Knuckles are at the hospital visiting Bunnie and Sonia, and Silver and Blaze went back to the school.”

“What about Sonic?” she wants to know, and Tails grimaces.

“I have no idea where he is,” he admits. “He ran off last night, after...,” he grimaces again, and scrubs forcefully at some fresh forming tears. “Well, I haven't been able to find him. I've checked most of his favourite places, but there's no sign of him anywhere. I'm planning on taking the tornado out to look for him in the next half our or so.”

Amy nods. “Can I come?”

The teens spend the last few hours of daylight in the Tornado, straining their eyes for any sign of their friend. At the end of the day, she catches Aziza up on their efforts and asks if there's been any sign of Shadow or the others. There hasn't. The next day, Amy goes out with Tails again and they alternate between searching in the small aircraft and searching on foot, with about the same results. Again she updates Aziza, and this time Aziza updates her back. Rouge had been by today, briefly, though she's long gone by now. Aziza doesn't know where she's gone. On the third day, Amy is desperate. Not desperate enough to go to the hospital, not yet, but desperate enough to drop by the school. It's a long shot, but maybe Cream knows something. Even if she doesn't, maybe Silver and Blaze can be recruited to help again.

When Cream sees Amy, she runs over and throws her arms around her friend. Amy tries not to flinch too hard, despite the stabbing pain that flairs up in her ribs. “Amy, it's been days! I was so worried! Did something happen?”

She lets out a nervous laugh. “A lot,” she admits. She considers telling Cream about it, but the thought of getting into it.... Plus, if she tells Cream, she’ll want to help. Cream is so sweet and so brave, but she's also so _small_. “I, ah, I don't really want to get into it right now,” she says instead. “What about you?”

“Mostly I've been cooking, and worrying about you. Oh! Did those nice men find Mr. Shadow?”

Amy feels the colour drain from her face. “Nice men?” she echos hollowly.

“Ah, from G.U.N.? They came asking after Shadow, said it was really important they find him. Something about his mother? That was, ah...,” Cream pauses to count on her fingers. “Five days ago.”

Five days ago, the day G.U.N. agents had surrounded her apartment. Was it really so recent? Amy thinks she might be sick. “Oh, yeah. Yeah, they found him.” She bares her teeth in an approximation of a smile. It feels wrong lying to her friend, even if it's just lying by omission, but the truth means involving Cream, and she's so small and sweet and—

“What a relief! I was so worried, is his mother okay?”

“Ah, yeah. She's actually staying with us, now.”

“Oh, I'm so glad!”

Amy wants to scream, wants to shake Cream until she understands what she did, but she knows that Cream was only trying to help. Part of what makes Amy love her is her sincerity and her belief in everyone, but it also makes her too _trusting_.

Unfortunately, Cream doesn't know where Sonic is. Amy could get into the details as to why Sonic's missing, she _could_. But, she doesn't want to talk about them right now, or any time in the foreseeable future. The idea of telling someone about Manic makes her gut wrench, and she's not sure she could stop the resulting breakdown if she tried. She can barely handle thinking about it in the abstract. So instead she asks after Blaze and Silver, only to find they've left. Amy swallows, and finds herself wandering, not knowing where to go next. There's no sign of Sonic, and the only person she knows the location of is Knuckles. So she should go to him, clearly, except he's at the hospital and she _can't_ go back there. Which means she's completely out of options. Unless....

No. The idea is laughable. There is no way _Amy_ could break into Robotnik's lair alone, it wouldn't work. It would _never_ work. She'd just wind up getting herself hurt, or caught. And that's the best case scenario. Really, even considering going there alone is foolishness. It's idiocy. It's... she considers going to the hospital again, and swallows. Every day spent delaying is another day that Shadow could be suffering. Really, she's wasted enough time as it is, she doesn't have _time_ to go to the hospital for reinforcements. She swallows, because there's no way she can get in through the tunnels again, even if she could remember the route they took.

Then it hits her. Tails has a plane! She heads back to Sonic's house, leaves a note for Aziza when she finds the older woman sleeping, and then races to Tails' workshop.

Tails, of course, is adamantly against Amy going to the lair. Eventually, she wins him over using the age old argument of “Whether you help or not, I'm going.” After that, they come up with a plan; a simple, but risky plan. Tails will bring Amy to the roof of the building in the Tornado under the cover of night, and that's where Amy will climb out. He'll then attempt to attract all the exterior guards to the small plane as he flies away, allowing Amy to get in undetected through the former hotel's roof access. Not as risky as jumping from a window seven floors up, but she'll be alone once Tails leaves. That's her choice, though, one she'd insisted on. Sure, she's not exactly the stealthiest person, but if it's just her then it'll be easier to hide.

She reminds herself of this fact as she watches Tails begin taking off, drawing the fire of the robotic guards. She wants to continue watching, to be sure he makes it out safely, but she knows she can't. Instead, she turns her attention to the lone door and wishes she hadn't dropped her hammer in the lair's basement. Perhaps that's where Shadow is. If so, then she'll grab the hammer on the way. She reaches the door connecting the roof to the interior and takes a deep, calming breath before pushing it open.

Or, trying to push it open. It's locked, and Amy has to resist the urge to shriek. All the work getting up here is for nothing? No! She refuses to accept that! She refuses to be halted by a stupid piece of wood and a dumb lock! In her frustration she kicks the door as hard as she can, again and again and again. When that doesn't work, she rams into it with all her might, throwing her entire weight against it, which hurts way more than the movies make it seem. The door doesn't budge. She tries picking the lock with a knife she brought, but that works about as well as she'd expected. She looks around the roof for inspiration, and her eyes fall upon a ladder leading down the side. A fire escape, perfect! She clambers down, hurrying past the first window she comes across when she sees the machines inside it assembling robots very much like the ones patrolling the halls. The second window is boarded over, the bricks around it charred as if from some explosion. That's invitation enough for Amy, and she removes the plywood as quietly as she can manage before she slips in. The room behind the plywood is a disaster, its walls cracked and burnt. Piles of singed rubble litter the carpet, the ceiling seems about ready to cave in, and there are actual holes in parts of the floor. Part of her wonders what _happened_ in here, but mostly, she's glad for the destruction. Odds are there won't be any guards looking in, after all. Slowly, carefully, Amy makes her way across the room. At first she hugs the walls, figuring that'll be safest, but when the floor under her gives she decides on a different method. With agonizing slowness she feels her way around until she finds a relatively solid path, perhaps above a support beam? When she reaches the door she peers through the peephole, and immediately her chest constricts.

Shadow is right there! Well, okay, he's a ways down the hall, and his back is to her, but it's him! Even if it weren't for the distinctive crimson streaks in his hair, Amy would recognize that closed-off, stiff posture anywhere. She doesn't think twice before throwing the door open and sprinting after him.

“Oh Shadow!” she calls out, throwing herself at him and wrapping her arms tight around his waist. “I thought I'd never see you again!”

  
  


Tuesday, November 30th, 8:52am, Robotnik's lair

The day after he buried Manic's body, Shadow finds himself scowling at the man in front of him. It takes all his willpower not to attack, but he has to be patient. Thirty-six hours and already his use of Chaos Control has vastly improved. And of course, there's the list. Search as he might, Shadow has yet to find Robotnik's list of all those involved in the ARK shutdown. He needs it. He's already lost everything else, this list is his last chance of making it right.

Yesterday had been a day for resting and retrieving his things, but today it seems he’s expected to offer Robotnik his services. The thought of helping the scientist makes him sick, but the thought of not avenging Maria makes him sicker. He listens as Robotnik explains to him how important it is they gather the rest of the Emeralds, how they can be used to unlock Shadow's true potential. Only then, apparently, can the two of them hope to face G.U.N..

“So you see, Shadow, it is imperative that you get the other two back. If you do, it will free my mind up to focus on the whereabouts of the others. It's simply a matter of efficiency.”

Shadow snorts. “I don’t see why you can't just send your robots.”

“Why, isn't it obvious? You are far superior to any of my creations. You're the _Ultimate Lifeform_. Besides, you need to get your body re-acclimated to the Emeralds. I can't imagine manipulating pure Chaos is very pleasant in your current state, even when done properly.” He gives Shadow a look, and Shadow has to bite the inside of his lip to keep from cursing. Of course he'd seen Shadow's attempts to revive Manic, he has cameras everywhere! The Chaos burning through his veins had felt like gasoline eating him from the inside, and the thought that he'd been seen in such a moment of weakness shames Shadow greatly. On top of that, the Chaos had scarred him, leaving angry streaks of vibrant—nearly metallic—red on the outsides of his arms and legs, marking his failure, driving it home every time he catches a glimpse of them. Still, he does not relish the idea of stealing from the others. Perhaps he can manage it without hurting them, but what if he runs into Amy? Or his mum?

No, Amy hates him now, and Aziza is not his mother, and that's that. It's done. Still, he can't just bow to Robotnik, so he gives the man his most condescending smile. “I will retrieve _my_ Emeralds for you, Doctor,” he spits the title like an insult, like something dirty and vile and beneath him, “ _if_ you can find them. If you can't even locate them on your own then you are of no use to me.” Robotnik's eyes narrow, and Shadow knows he's playing with fire. Oh no, someone like Robotnik would not like being spoken to like that, not by some juvenile _brat_ , as he would see it. Not even if said juvenile brat _is_ the so-called Ultimate Lifeform. “In the meantime, I will be in my rooms.” He clears his mind and feels the increasingly familiar sensation of space and time bending to his will, feels the world shift around him until he stands alone in the suite Robotnik had designated to be Shadow's living quarters.

True, it would have been easier to simply slow down time and walk to his rooms, easier still to walk there without manipulating time and space at all, but the effect wouldn't have been the same. In the short time Shadow's been here, it has become painfully obvious that the scientist respects nothing so much as _power_. The more Shadow flaunts his Chaos powers around the scientist, the less the man will try to push him around.

Of course, if taking the time to clear and focus his mind isn't an option, there are also shortcuts he can take, words that can be used as focal points in the event of an emergency. It's just a matter of associating the words with the use you intend them for, something that Shadow plans to work on today.

“So, this is where you got to,” a sultry voice purrs from the window in clear defiance of Shadow's plans. Shadow’s back goes rigid.

“What do you want, Rouge?” he asks, hoping she doesn't realize the sharpness of his tone is caused by surprise. Better for her if she takes it for anger and leaves, though given how long they've been friends, it seems unlikely. He crosses his arms and turns to her, expression carefully neutral.

Rouge scowls, pulling herself the rest of the way into the window and stalking up to Shadow. “No way, don't you dare. You are not going to shut me out now, of all times!”

Shadow blinks before returning the scowl. “I have no idea what you're talking about,” he sneers.

“The closed off body language? The dirty look? You know exactly what I'm talking about. Whenever anything bad happens to you, you get like this, and I'm sick of it.”

“Then leave,” Shadow commands in a voice that should brook no argument.

“No!” Rouge argues, because Rouge is difficult like that. “Not until you tell me what the hell you're doing here.” She has that determined look in her eyes as she speaks, but there's no way he's going to tell her he's working for Robotnik.

Instead he says “I could say the same to you.”

“Really?” she scoffs. “Because I'm not the one who seems to have made myself at home here. And don't even _think_ about lying to me, I can tell by looking at you. You're fed, you're clean, you're wearing clothes that look like they came straight out of your dresser. And, unless I'm mistaken, that's your laptop on the table behind you.”

Shadow grunts; so much for not letting her know. He switches tactics. “Guilty as charged. I guess you could say I've had a change of heart. It turns out the doctor and I share some common interests.”

“Common enough to forget Manic?” Rouge accuses, knowing just how to get under Shadow's skin. He flinches, but doesn't back down.

“Like you care; you barely even knew him. Half the school you invited to your parties, but not Manic. Never mind that his sister is your best friend.”

Rouge takes a deep breath to centre herself, but he sees her getting fed up behind the mask. “That's not fair and you know it,” she says instead of screaming at him the way she obviously wants to. The way he wants her to. “Shadow, _you're_ my best friend. Talk to me. For once in your life, let someone in.”

He glowers at her. Letting people in is what got him into this mess in the first place. “I'm good, thanks. How did you get up to this window?”

She hums slightly. “Oh, that? I climbed.” She says it like it's obvious, and if it weren't for the difficulty of getting onto the fire escape, or getting past all the guards, it might have been. “I always said I'd be a spy one day,” she continues, “and I think I just proved myself.”

Shadow snorts despite himself. “As I recall, you always said you'd be the world's greatest treasure hunter.”

“Semantics,” Rouge replies, flapping her hand dismissively. “Now, are you going to talk to me, or are you going to keep sulking?”

 _Sulking_? Shadow's not sure he's ever been so affronted in all his life. Shadow doesn't _sulk_ , he just isn't a particularly cheery person, isn't given to sharing his feelings with others. It's different. “I'm good, thanks,” he repeats. “You, however, are getting on my nerves. Please leave before I'm forced to call the guards.” He's half tempted to do it, to scare her off for good. She may have been his friend for years, but what does that matter now? Everyone else left him in one way or another, why should Rouge be any different? Besides, he's in no mood for her taunts.

She shifts her weight onto one leg and crosses her arms. “You wouldn't.” He can tell from the nervous tapping of her foot that she isn't as confident as she's trying to seem, so he takes a breath and opens his mouth as if preparing to call for backup. She all but leaps forward, clapping one of her hands over his mouth. “Alright, alright. Ugh, can you at least hear me out first?”

He frowns and, after a moment, nods. She lets out a small sigh and drops her hand from his mouth before sauntering over to the same couch Manic had inhabited in Shadow's dream. Rouge drapes herself along it.

“The truth is, I came here hoping to find out what Robotnik has planned for the Chaos Emeralds. It seems kind of silly, in retrospect, putting so much on the line when we don't even know what he's going to do with them.”

“He needs them to take on G.U.N.,” Shadow answers, which is true enough. “He wants to make them pay for the things they've done.” It's not the whole truth, but Shadow doubts even he has the whole truth. Oh well, one thing at a time.

“And that's the cause you believe in enough to forget Manic?” Rouge asks, surprised. “Since when do you hate G.U.N.?”

Shadow refuses to be baited. “I have my reasons,” he answers instead.

Rouge snorts at that. “Right. Well, it seems like you could use my help.”

Shadow raises an eyebrow. “What help could you possibly offer me? And why should I trust you?”

“Oh, I don't know, maybe because we're friends? I mean, you certainly seem to be doing a good job of pretending we aren't, but pretending something doesn't make it real. As for help, I can keep tabs on the others for you, let you know how they're doing and what they're up to. Or, do you think they're not going to be after the rest of the Emeralds too?”

Shadow raises an eyebrow at that. “Is the fact that you would spy on your friends for me supposed to garner trust?” Rouge doesn't answer that, and Shadow sighs. “Fine, whatever, but you can't come back here.” He tosses her the pager Robotnik had given him earlier, resolving to ask for another once she leaves. “I'll send you my number in a bit, so page me if you learn anything. I'll tell you when and where to meet me.” Rouge nods, getting up to go. “And Rouge? If I see you around here again, I won't be so nice.” It feels bad threatening his last remaining friend, but it'd be worse for her if Robotnik caught her. She frowns and searches his expression. Whatever she find must scare her, because she's at the window in a matter of seconds. Halfway through, she hesitates.

“Amy is looking for you,” she tells him and his heart stops dead. “Aziza says she's practically tearing the city apart looking to build up a force and rescue you.”

Energy builds up in his veins, looking for a way out. How dare she mention _that_ name in his presence, does she have any idea...? He takes a step forward, and his body fills up with power. If his expression had scared Rouge before it must terrify her now. She wastes no time pulling herself the rest of the way out the window, and then she's gone. He doubts she's truly left, likely she's just looking for another window. She'll want to find Robotnik's plans herself before she leaves, but no matter. Shadow has other things to worry about, like finding an outlet for the Chaos singing through his veins. His body nearly vibrates from the buildup, and he focuses on sending it _out_. He is unprepared for the result.

The energy rips outward, expanding outwards in a small, red explosion. Everything in the room is slammed _away_ , and when the dust settles, Shadow is amazed by what he sees. While his body and clothing are untouched by the devastation around him, nothing else is. The furniture is in pieces, shattered and burnt. The walls are also burnt, and have deep cracks in them. The floor at his feet seems as if it will cave in at any second, and the ceiling hangs ominously. He isn't surprised when the sprinklers come on, soaking him and washing away the smoke. The alarms sounding is also unsurprising, and he waits patiently for Robotnik to come in demanding answers. He is suddenly very glad that he left the clothing Manic lent him, the clothing he'd spent ages hand washing just yesterday, hanging to dry in the bathroom.


	16. Chapter 15 - I am who you don't think I am

Wednesday, December 1st, 10:56pm, Robotnik's lair

Shadow frowns as he reports his 'failure' to Robotnik. Oh, yes, it was his choice to fail, but like hell is he letting the scientist know that. The mission had started simply enough; Robotnik gave him the location of a Chaos Emerald. It was Shadow's job to retrieve it, not difficult when you have Chaos Powers, even if they do have limits. That he's still learning their limits is... frustrating. Still, the mission would have gone off without a hitch were it not for a certain blue haired track star showing up.

***

If Shadow had been expecting a challenge when he'd agreed to break into a high security vault he would have been sorely disappointed. As it is, even with expectations as low as they are, he's still surprised. The building itself—formerly a large banking firm—is a concrete block, sturdy enough to have minimal damages, but it's empty and abandoned, and close enough to ground zero that no one wants to risk any lingering radiation. No one but fools. Well, fools and Shadow.

Entering turns out to be a breeze; all the doors inside are open or ajar, and even the heavy duty looking door to the basement—sturdier even than Robotnik's—is open. Shadow goes through it into a research facility that hasn't yet lost power; a fact that only serves to raise further questions. He wanders through reinforced corridors, passing more than one dead scientist as he keeps an eye on his Emerald. It seems to be resonating with something, giving off faint pulses as he drifts closer or further from whatever it's reacting to. Presumably, it's resonating with the Emerald Robotnik detected in the building. Shadow assumes the faster pulses mean he's getting closer, and he follows them until he reaches yet another large security door. A nervous fluttering begins in the pit of his stomach when he sees that it, like so many others, is already open.

'It's a trap,' his instincts scream. Shadow presses himself against the door and cautiously peers around it to scan for life. Is that... no... Sonic? And, in his hand... Shadow feels the energy of the white gem pulsing in tune with his own Emerald as it reverberates through his heart and veins and nervous system. Sonic just stares at the thing. It would be so easy to just strike him down, but... he's already taken so much from the other teen.

Shadow steps into the room, not even trying for stealth. His footsteps cut through the silence and cause Sonic to whirl around, and Shadow nearly does a double take. Sonic looks like shit; his features are drawn, his eyes seem to stare out from deep pits, and it looks like he hasn't eaten in days. Hasn't slept either, unless Shadow misses his guess. On top of that, his hair—normally slicked out of his face—is a greasy mess, and he's still wearing the clothes he'd been wearing when Shadow had seen him last. He's also missing one of his contacts, which shouldn't seem so jarring when compared with the rest, but it is.

“Shadow?” Sonic rasps, and Shadow feels a sudden wave of guilt. This is his fault. He pushes it down. “Are you here to help get the Emeralds away from 'Buttnik?”

He considers it, considers saying yes. It would be easy if he said yes. Except, he looks at Sonic and swallows. No. No, Shadow's above that, he's the Ultimate Lifeform! He doesn't need to resort to trickery to beat Sonic.

“No.”

Hurt crosses through familiar eyes, one the green he dreaded every day in P.E., the other the same off-black he'd just closed for the final time in a dank basement on the other side of town. Shadow pushes down another wave of guilt.

“Then, why?” Sonic wonders, as if the only other reason he'd be here weren't obvious. Or, maybe to someone as good as Sonic, it isn't. The thought doesn't help.

“I'm here for the Emerald,” Shadow answers, and further confusion blossoms on Sonic's face. “Hand it over and no one gets hurt.”

Well, that seems to clarify things. Sonic pockets the Emerald and slips from his open stance to a wary one. “Why do you need it?”

Shadow forces his voice to be cold, distant. “That's none of your concern.”

Sonic swallows, shifting from foot to foot. “I don't want to fight you,” he says, “but I can't let this fall into the wrong hands.”

Shadow scoffs. “What's the matter, scared?” he taunts as he slips into a fighting stance. “I promise I'll go easy on you.”

No, Sonic does not like that. He's never handled taunts well, and as he charges Shadow feels smug satisfaction blossom in his chest. Trust Sonic's ego to be his downfall.

As Shadow dodges Sonic's attacks with ease, the satisfaction drains away. Sonic's even worse off than he looks, judging by his deadened reactions and general clumsiness. Shadow counters, Sonic staggers, and there's no joy; can be no joy with Sonic in such a sorry state. It's too easy, even without Chaos singing through Shadow's veins. Sonic strikes out with a fist and Shadow dodges out of the way, retaliating with a quick kick. Sonic tries to sweep Shadow's legs out from under him and Shadow counters by driving his fist into his rival's gut. When Sonic throws caution to the wind and attempts to tackle Shadow, Shadow knows it's over. He turns the attempted grapple around in one fluid motion and pins his opponent, grabbing the white Emerald from Sonic with ease. With the Emerald in hand he wastes no time getting to his feet and turning a cold gaze on Sonic. Another surge of guilt spikes through his chest.

Sonic lays on the ground panting, making a vain attempt to get to his feet. Try as he might, he doesn't even seem capable of rolling over. He can't even sit up. Blood trickles out of his mouth and his breaths have taken on a laboured, wheezing quality. Never before this moment had Shadow been so acutely aware of the resemblance shared between Sonic and Manic. Oh, sure, the hair is different, but he has the same small, round eyes with the same mono-eyelids set equidistant above the same flat nose and the same thin lips. They even have the same lopsided grin, right down to the dimple that forms on the right cheek. Sonic isn't grinning now, but neither was Manic the last time Shadow had seen him.

Shadow tries to turn away, he really does. He tries to push down the weakness and the guilt, tries to ignore the image of leaving Manic in such a sorry state, but he can't. Maybe if he saves Sonic he won't see Manic's lifeless gaze every time he closes his eyes.

With a growl, Shadow turns back, storms over, and drops to his knees beside Sonic. He pulls Sonic into a sitting position, and if his motions are rough, well so much the better. When it becomes clear that Sonic can't hold himself up Shadow wraps an arm around his shoulders and steadies him in place. He grips the Emerald he'd won from Sonic tight in his hand and focuses on Sonic, on sensing his life-force and detecting every bump and bruise. Awareness of Sonic's condition comes so suddenly that Shadow almost slips, almost releases the energies he'd called forth. Like with Manic, Sonic's body becomes Shadow's body, and he's aware of it in ways he'd never wanted to be. Sonic has a fractured rib, and that's the least of his troubles. He's sick. Really sick. Go to the hospital sick. He's also half-starved and half mad from sleep deprivation. A myriad of bruises and scrapes from Shadow cover his body, along with more from who-knows-where, and a sense of exhaustion. Shadow can't do anything about the gnawing hunger, but by using both Emeralds in tandem, he's able to deal with the rest, though it takes everything he has to clear the infection from Sonic's lungs. And then he's done, and a convulsive shiver runs down Sonic's spine, eliciting a gasp from the both of them, breaking the connection.

“What the _hell_ was that?” Sonic demands, staring wide-eyed at Shadow. Instead of answering, Shadow gets up and started to walks away. “Shadow?”

He hesitates. Healing the injuries he himself had been largely responsible for is hardly atonement for what he's done. “Consider this my apology for your brother,” Shadow replies, turning and tossing Sonic the white Emerald. “Next time, I won't hold back.” He wishes he could Chaos Control out of there, but his body is still burning with Chaos and it would be a mistake to use it again so soon after channelling two full Emeralds to heal Sonic. Instead, he calmly walks out the door and down the hall until he's sure he's out of sight, then kicks his skates to life and races out of there. Hopefully, Sonic is too bewildered to follow him.

***

No, Robotnik is most certainly not happy to hear that Shadow has failed to capture the Emerald.

“What does this Sonic kid want with the Emeralds, anyway?” he demands after a long tirade about Shadow's failings.

“He blames you for his brother's death,” Shadow replies in a disinterested tone. “Likely he just wants to keep them away from you.”

Robotnik snorts. “It's hardly my fault that the boy ran afoul of my robots. If these children are going to be stupid enough to break into my lair, then they deserve what's coming to them. Wouldn't you agree?”

Shadow clenches his fists, refusing to be baited, to be weak. “Wholeheartedly,” he says, and the word is as cold as it is hard. Good. He needs to get better, he needs to _be_ better. He can't afford to let his feelings dance around at the surface and betray him. Inside he is a raging inferno, but if he can keep it contained....

Robotnik's raised eyebrow speaks volumes about how much he trusts Shadow, but the feeling is mutual. “Fail me again, Shadow, and you will never see that list.”

A conscious effort is needed to keep from snarling. “Duly noted.” Shadow drops into a mocking bow before he leaves the room, making his way to his suite. He's nearly at his old suite when he recalls that he'd been forced to relocate the day before. With a growl, he turns on his heel and starts walking in the _correct_ direction, muttering about how every little thing seems intent on getting on his nerves, wondering what else could go wrong today.

“Oh, Shadow!” a familiar voice calls out in answer to the question he shouldn't have asked. A warm body strikes him from behind as deceptively strong arms wrap around his waist. His heart leaps into his throat. “I thought I'd never see you again!”

Shadow closes his eyes, denying the reality of this moment. There's just... there's no way....

“Shadow?” Amy tries, and it's a struggle to keep himself in check. He takes a deep breath before he turns, his cold red eyes regarding warm green ones with contempt and disapproval.

“Well, that was certainly my intent,” he says, and she flinches as if the acidity of his tone had physically burned her. And yet her arms remain firmly latched around him. “If you wouldn't mind, Miss Rose, could you please remove yourself from my person?”

Amy starts tearing up, and it takes all of Shadow's self-control not to wrap her in his arms and apologize. But, why should he? She made it quite clear she wants nothing to do with him ever again.

“Shadow?” she asks, her voice ready to break. “Why are you...? I thought... you said you liked me—”

He all but shoves her off of him as rage bubbles up. How _dare_ she take his feelings and turn them against him? “Do not toy with me, Amelia,” he snarls. “You have the audacity to speak as if _you_ are the victim here? That's rich.” She steps away, eyes wide, tears spilling onto her cheeks. He feels a surge of satisfaction, but more than that, regret. “You should be grateful I don't just throw you in a cell and leave you to rot,” he continues. “I did like you, Amelia. I liked you _very_ much. But now? You disgust me.”

That last bit isn’t true, but oh, how desperately he wishes it were. He hopes she doesn't hear the truth in the tremor of his voice, hopes she doesn't see through him and realize that even now he wants to be with her more than is healthy. But no, he won’t let her hurt him again. She takes another step back and he grabs her wrist. “We're not done yet,” he growls. “You don't get to leave until you understand what you—”

“Well, well, well,” a familiar voice cuts in. “What do we have here?”

Shadow swallows his words, rigidly turning to face the newcomer. “Doctor,” he greets, mind racing for an answer, for something that will allow Amy to leave unscathed. How much did Robotnik hear? “So good of you to join us. Have you met Amelia?”

“Haven't had the pleasure,” the older man intones wryly. “Who is she?”

“A friend of Sonic's.” He hopes Robotnik doesn't realize the bite in his voice is panic and not anger. Amy's arm trembles in Shadow's hand, and he knows she isn’t taking it as panic. The thought hurts.

Robotnik grins, and his expression is too ambitious for comfort. “Excellent work, Shadow. We can use her as a bargaining chip for the Emeralds.” He waves at one of his full-time robot entourage. “Throw her in the dungeons.”

“No!” Shadow yells before he can stop himself, and Robotnik quirks an eyebrow as he halts the robot. “No, I....” Shadow swallows, thinking fast. “I intend to take advantage of this situation.” Just saying it like that makes him sick, but he continues, “I'm sure if I ask her nicely, she will tell me everything I want to know.” He lets a cruel grin curve his lips and suppresses a shudder. He makes his voice as anticipatory as he can manage, praying Robotnik won’t call his bluff. “Care to watch?”

Judging by the disturbed expression that graces his features, he does not. Which is good. Less good is the way Amy is now clawing at his hand on her wrist, frantically trying to get away. Does she really believe he would ever...? No matter, her terror seems to confirm his bluff in Robotnik's eyes.“Ah, I'm good. I'll leave you to your... pleasures. Would you like me to increase security on your door?”

Shadow shrugs. “That won't be necessary. She's weak. But, perhaps you could soundproof my quarters,” he suggests, trying desperately to tune out her begging. Robotnik grimaces and nods, accessing the portable computer on his wrist and relaying the orders. With the efficiency of the robots, it will likely be done by the time Shadow has dragged Amy to his rooms.

Once Robotnik leaves and Shadow starts walking, Amy digs in her heels. “Shadow please! I'm sorry, okay? Whatever I did, I'm so sorry. Please don't do this!” She sobs, and this time Shadow really is disgusted. Not with her, though. With himself. Is he really so terrible that people can so easily believe...?

“Enough,” he snaps after a minute of listening to her pleading; he wants to throw himself out of the nearest window to escape it. “Things will go better for you if you stop fighting now.”

Once they get to his rooms he practically throws her in, slamming the door behind them. She slips to the floor crying, and he creates a small Chaos Blast that should, hopefully, fry any cameras or microphones hidden in his rooms. She doesn't even notice, but now he can drop the act and make it all okay.

He sits down on the ground next to her, crossing his legs and trying to look as nonthreatening as possible. “It will be easier to get you out of here early in the morning,” he tells her.

She blinks at him. “Shadow?”

He shakes his head, looking around the room to see if he has anything that can help her. “I can take you downstairs later under the pretense of transferring you to a cell. Do you have any weapons on you?”

She stares at him with a mystified expression, but manages to nod. “Um, yeah. I have a kitchen knife.”

Shadow stares disbelievingly. “You broke into Robotnik's lair with a _kitchen knife_?” he asks, and feels a swell of mixed frustration and pride rising in his chest. “What did you hope to accomplish?” She opens her mouth to respond, but he cuts her off. He's not ready to actually _talk_ to her. “No matter,” he says, getting to his feet and striding to a shelf. “You can use this.” He grabs the machete from their last break in and attempts to press it into her hands.

“You want me to fight robots with this?” she asks, overwhelmed. He hopes the feeling passes.

“No,” he answers. “I want you to fight _me_ with that.”

Amy's eyes look about ready to fall out of her skull. “I thought you were helping me escape?”

“I am. I will take you right to the entry to the tunnels. Once we're there you will incapacitate me, take my card key, and escape.”

Amy swallows, looks a bit faint. “How do I i-inc-” she pauses, takes a deep breath to steady herself. Shadow decides to help her out.

“Take the knife,” he says gently, kneeling in front of her and wrapping her hands around the hilt. “And use it.” He leans back and gestures vaguely at his torso, causing Amy to gasp and drop the weapon.

“I can't!”

“We don't have any other options.”

“No! I won't kill you!” she protests, and Shadow sucks in a sharp breath because he hadn't considered what it must seem like he's asking from her perspective. “Please,” she sobs. “Don't make me...” she trails off and refuses to meet his eyes.

He cups her chin in his fingers, lifts it until she has to meet his gaze. “I'm not asking you to kill me, Amelia,” he replies. “I'm not... I can't... as long as I have a Chaos Emerald, I will be fine.” She smacks his hand away.

“Liar!” she shouts. “A knife to the—” she gestures vaguely at his chest and stomach, “—would kill anyone!”

Shadow scowls, his patience rapidly fading at this pretense of affection. “Why do you care?” he demands and she flinches, but when she opens her mouth he cuts her off. He doesn't want her lies, doesn't want her to make him forgive and let her back in. “Save that thought, I don't want your flimsy excuses. You made yourself perfectly clear after Manic died,” he sneers, earning surprised blinking.

“When Manic died?” she echoes, furrowing her brow. “I don't—” she cuts off with a frown. “It's all a blur, I....” And then, surprisingly, her expression shifts to one of despair. “Shadow, please believe me when I say that I have no idea what I said to you. Everything after Manic—” she chokes off, and Shadow is torn between distrust and the urge to hold her. “Whatever I said, I know it was probably really awful, but I promise I didn't mean it. When I'm upset, I say the worst things and I never mean them. I know that even if I don't remember, even if I didn't mean it, it isn't okay but—” she chokes on a sob. “You are the most amazing person I have ever met, please—”

“You blamed me for Manic's death,” Shadow cuts in, and Amy freezes. “You told me you never want to see me again, you told me you _hate_ me.” She stares at him for a moment with those large, green eyes, horrified, and then she bridges the gap between them, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and burying her face in his neck. He feels wet tears on his skin. His mouth is dry.

“Shadow, no, I am _so_ sorry. I don't know why I'd— Manic's— If I hadn't run—” She breaks off as sobs wrack her body, and Shadow is frozen. She blames herself? Her words replay in his head, but their meaning shifts. Eventually Amy's voice brings him back to the present. “Shadow, please don't believe any of that.” Her fingers dig into the fabric of his shirt. “I love you, so, _so_ much,” she whispers.

All the hurt, all the pain, everything he'd felt during their last confrontation seeps out of him, leaving him empty. She loves him? His stomach drops in protest to his shifting emotions. She loves him, and he left her when she needed him most. She loves him, and he'd yelled at her for coming to find him. The empty feeling grows. She loves him, and he's going to live forever while she grows old and dies. The thought is dizzying, terrifying. It's so big that he can't breathe past it.

“Please stop,” he says, and if it comes out half a sob, if it shatters his carefully and cleverly built facade, then what does it matter? Amy loves him, and even if she survives this whole ordeal, her lifespan is a puddle next to his ocean, a pebble in the face of the moon, one string fraying from a tapestry that spans eternity. He doesn't know any words to express the sudden existential dread hollowing out his guts and veins and soul. He is bereft, and she hasn't even died yet. But she will, because time is a cold inevitability that stops for no one. He hasn't even lived yet, but how can he now when faced with an eternity of grief? “Please,” he repeats. “I... we can't... I'm not....” He chokes, because he doesn't want to see horror and revulsion in her eyes, not again, not now. “Not even human,” he breathes, and it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. It's true, though. He's been twisted and changed and made into a weapon, an instrument, and a cure to every disease. He is everything they could have wanted and they stripped away a dying boy's humanity to achieve it.

Amy gives him a funny look. “You look plenty human to me,” she says, as if looks are never deceiving.

Shadow nods. “I used to be, a long time ago.” He gently removes her arms from his neck, and she doesn't resist. She just watches him expectantly as he edges back until he hits the wall, leaning against it while he tries to figure out how to tell her he's a monster. “I... when I was a child, I was quite sickly,” he starts, and it feels weird to say it because his memories start in the hospital, supposedly after a car accident when he was... nine? Ten? The memories are fuzzy, indistinct. He briefly wonders if that particular side effect was deliberate, or if it's a result of whatever they did to erase what came before. “They were researching immortality at the time, and they decided that a live subject would take to the experiments better. They approached my mother and asked if they could use me, and she said yes. The fact that I'm still alive proves that it worked. However, they weren't happy with just that.” He clenches and unclenches his fists, staring at them as if he's never seen them before. “At some point, they decided to create some sort of Ultimate Lifeform. A weapon.” A bitter smirk plays across his features. “G.U.N. came for me as soon as the doctor attacked, tried to keep him from getting his hands on me.”

“So why are you with him, then?” Amy asks, and he's grateful that she didn't interrupt sooner.

“Partly to learn more about my own past,” he admits. “I dislike being kept in the dark. There's also the Chaos Emeralds. I was designed with them in mind and Robotnik has the means to teach me how to harness their powers. And also... a personal reason.” The two of them lapse into silence, each consumed by their own thoughts. Eventually, Amy speaks.

“I still don't see how this makes you inhuman,” she says.

Shadow frowns. “I am a weapon that will live forever, an affront to the natural order of things. How could anyone consider me human, knowing that?”

“Because you can think and feel,” Amy answers without any trace of hesitation. “And, because you're good.” He frowns at that, wants to protest, she doesn't let him. “If you weren't a good person, you wouldn't have been so quick to make plans to get me out of here. Not when you were so mad.”

“Basic decency does not make me good,” Shadow points out.

She considers this for a moment before trying a different tactic. “Weapons don't care about people,” she says, freezing him. “You like me, right? Care about my wellbeing? Or, was that all an act?” She says it and he knows she knows the answer, but it still gets under his skin.

“Of course I like you!” he snaps. “Do you think I'd let just anybody stab me for a chance at safety?”

That catches her off guard. “I thought you said it wouldn't hurt you?”

“No, I said I would be fine,” Shadow corrects. “There's a difference.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean getting stabbed hurts, even if I can immediately make it like it never happened,” he answers.

Amy frowns. “Then why not just open the door for me?”

“Because if Robotnik even suspected my feelings for you, he would take advantage of them and use you as leverage against me. Better that it looks like I got cocky and let my guard down.” She nods, and they lapse into another silence, and again it's Amy who breaks it.

“What if I want to stay?” she asks. “Just for a bit.”

Shadow can only blink at her as a part of him latches onto the idea, clings to it like a lifeline. _What if she stays?_ It wouldn't be right. _Just for a bit?_ Too dangerous. “It would make hiding my feelings from you very hard,” he finally answers, and she gives him a funny look.

“From?” she echoes, and he blanches.

“I said for,” he corrects, just a bit too hastily.

“You said from,” she informs him, and a flush creeps up his neck.

“You misheard,” he tries.

“I know what I heard,” she replies, and he swallows down the mounting nerves. “What feelings don't you want me knowing?”

The room is suddenly too hot, or maybe that's just Shadow. “Ah, I just,” the flush has definitely reached his cheeks by now. “I really did mean 'for',” he whispers, and his heart flutters as he realizes that he's going to continue anyway. “But, if you must know...,” he swallows again, unsure how his mouth can feel so wet and yet so dry. “I guess... sometimes, when you're around...,” He clears his throat, and finds he cannot bring himself to look at her. “I find that I am... _tempted_....”

He leaves it at that, and when he glances at Amy she has the biggest grin. “ _Tempted_?” she repeats, sounding far too pleased with the idea. “Like how, exactly?”

“Ah, like...,” he trails off, because this is all new for him, and how does one even _say_ this kind of thing and— He takes a deep breath to calm his racing heart. “Like, when you're around, I find myself thinking of you, and how I'd like to hold you against me, and of how nice it feels when we kiss. And it makes me want to...,” He hesitates and closes his eyes against the flood of ideas and mental images, praying his body takes the hint sooner rather than later. “Hold you,” he finishes, thinking about a conversation he'd had with Sonic not too long ago. “And, you know.. kiss you, and... stuff.”

“Wait, is that it?” Amy asks, snapping Shadows eyes back to her. “Shadow,” she says, lips quirking up at the corners. “What's so embarrassing about that? The way you were talking,” she begins, leaning towards him. He wishes his back weren't against a wall, but is kind of glad it is. “I thought for sure,” she crawls towards him, and he almost whimpers. “It would be something a little more... indecent.” Her breath ghosts across his lips and a tightness coils in his gut.

“I, um....” He wants to kiss her, wants to reverse their positions so he's the one hovering over her and she's the one trapped. He pushes it down. “I mean, yes,” he confesses, “but, ah... I, now isn't... I'm—”

Gentle laughter cuts through his embarrassed stuttering, which is good because _yes,_ but not now, not _here_. And even if _yes_ now, _yes_ here, he's not sure he'd actually know what to do. He never discussed this kind of thing with Rouge, had never even tried. Spending years avoiding other people to the best of his ability left him woefully unprepared for this moment, and to his surprise he wants to put it off as long as he can.

“Shadow,” she breathes, and he loves the way his name sounds as it falls off her tongue. “You're cute.” He wants to protest, but her lips descend on his and he can't. He's supposed to be intimidating, cold, distant, not cute. A sliver of him resents the fact that there's someone who knocks him so far out of sorts and renders him a timid child with words alone, but the rest of him is too busy kissing his girlfriend to care. _His_ _girlfriend_. His girlfriend, who braved Robotnik's lair _alone_ to save him. He deepens the kiss, pulls her tighter against himself. There's no one to interrupt them this time. They have privacy; they have time. They can do whatever they want. The thought is as terrifying as it is thrilling and Shadow can hardly contain his desire for _more_.

“Amy,” he says, pulling away, intent on cutting things short. He hates how breathy his voice sounds. She follows and he's increasingly aware of her breasts pressing against his chest. The heat in his chest begins spreading, pooling lower and lower and making it hard to think rationally. He needs to stop this before it gets out of hand.

Running with the first idea that pops into his head, Shadow leans in and delivers a swift nip to the tip of her nose.

Amy stares, bewildered. “Did... did you just _bite_ me?”

Head held high, he pretends he isn't blushing up a storm. “Yes.”

She blinks at him for a second before the desired effect is achieved and she dissolves into a fit of giggles, pulling away to wipe the tears that form in her eyes. “I can't believe you bit me!”

He shrugs but can't help the smile that tugs at his lips. They fall into companionable silence, and then reality comes back. “You really can't stay. As much as I want you here, we need to get you out.”

She frowns. “Just tell Robotnik that I'm your prisoner,” she suggests.

Shadow raises an eyebrow. “A prisoner that I'm keeping in my own rooms?” he says, considering it. “That reeks of indecency.”

“Perhaps I offered to tell you everything so long as you don't make me sleep in the dungeons? Maybe bring me some of my things?”

He rubs the back of his neck, tempted. “And you're staying in my rooms because...?”

She smiles sweetly at him. “Because you want to kiss me and,” she pauses to shoot him a suggestive look. “Stuff.”

Shadow makes a strangled sound in the back of his throat, earning a laugh from Amy.

“How about because you don't trust me not to attempt an escape? And you want to keep an eye on me?” The tentative smile she gives him makes it that much harder to disagree, and Shadow soon gives in.

“Yeah, okay,” he relents. He's letting her put herself in danger because of his own selfish desires and it doesn't sit well with him. The _good_ thing to do is send her away whether she likes it or not. Except, that would mean making decisions for her, which also isn’t okay. So, he's stuck then.

As he kisses her again, he hates how easy it is to excuse his selfishness.

Wednesday, December 1st, 11:43pm, Robotnik's lair

While Shadow reports to Robotnik that the prisoner will be staying in his rooms, Amy compiles a list of things for him to get her in the morning. He'd offered to grab them tonight, but she declined, stating that she doesn't want to be alone any more than necessary. Shadow returns and, as the two of them start settling down for bed, he offers to lend her one of his shirts to sleep in. Once he finds one that looks like it might fit he turns to point her to the bathroom, but Amy is too tired to care. She's just finished pulling her shirt off when he turns around. His eyes goggle and he takes an involuntary step back, dropping the shirt he'd retrieved. His breathing speeds up and he swallows a good three times while trying to regain composure. If she weren't so exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster of today, and if it weren't so late, Amy would be busting a gut laughing. But before the humour of the situation can fully sink in Shadow's eyes narrow, furrowing his brow. He takes a step towards her, and Amy wonders what about her has displeased him so. Is she too fat? Does he think she's ugly? Does—

His fingers brush lightly against her side, about an inch below the band of her bra. His touch is so light that it causes her to shiver. “You're hurt,” he says in that soft voice he gets when he's concerned. She shivers again and twists so she can see what he's looking at. He traces his fingers along the outline of a fairly large, fairly dark bruise, a bruise likely gotten the day they'd broken into this very building. She'd forgotten about pulling Shadow back inside the window and being crushed under him. Oh sure, her ribs still hurt and she's found herself a bit short of breath, but there've been more important things to focus on.

“It's nothing,” she replies faintly, suddenly feeling self-conscious about her decision to change where he could easily see.

He gives her a very flat look. “Are you sure? It looks like a bruise to me.”

She opens her mouth to reply, but words die on her tongue when a faint green glow surrounds his hand. She watches, rapt, as the glow spreads from the tips of his fingers to the bruising on her ribs, grows to encompass her torso, and from there covers all of her. It feels... strange, like her entire body is hot and cold at the same time. Like someone else is existing in the exact same place at the exact same moment as her. It feels intrusive, a foreign presence pressing up against her nerves and her mind, receiving the same inputs from her nervous system as she is, maybe more. For a moment her ribs feel wrong, like they aren't in sync with the rest of her.

And then the glow is retreating, taking all her aches and pains with it. Its absence is like being dumped in a frozen lake, and she gasps at the resulting chill that runs up her spine, arching her back and bringing her feet off the ground until she’s balanced so perfectly on the tips of her toes that a ballerina would be impressed. The convulsion ends and the only thing that keeps her from toppling over is Shadow's arm darting around her waist. For a moment, the entire world is out of focus.

As the dizziness recedes, Amy notices an unfamiliar look on Shadow's face. His cheeks are flushed, his lips have parted slightly, and his eyes are half-lidded. Amy would ask about the red on his eyelids—the same shade as the streaks in his hair—but.... Shadow's pupils are dilated and it makes his eyes seem darker. He licks his lips and his grip on her tightens and her heart takes off like a shot, like a sprinter in a track-meet, racing as hard as it can. She licks her own lips, leans towards him, and the spell is broken. He swallows and averts his eyes, stepping away from her, nearly causing her to fall from the sudden lack of support. He grabs his shirt off the ground and she turns beet-red.

“We should sleep,” he announces before the silence can grow too awkward. His voice is a bit huskier than usual and it sounds unsteady. Amy nods, hastily pulling his shirt over her head. It's too tight, and she wishes she'd let him retrieve her stuff when he'd offered earlier. She settles into his bed and Shadow gets the lights. She waits for him to join her, but instead he settles on the loveseat across the room.

“Shadow?” Her heart is still racing, but she tries to ignore it.

“Yes?”

“Aren't you going to sleep with me?” she asks, cringing at the phrasing.

There's a long silence as he hesitates, but just when she thinks he's going to ignore her, he speaks. “You still want me to?”

She nods, even though it's dark and he probably can't see her. “I... yeah.” More silence, and then she hears him get up, feels him cross the room. The blankets lift up and the mattress depresses as he gets in beside her. She reaches out to brush her fingers against him. He's stiff. Tense. His back is to her, so she shifts closer, presses herself against the length of him and wraps an arm around his waist. His breath hitches for a moment before the tension bleeds out of him and he leans into her embrace. His fingers snake through her own and he gives her hand a gentle squeeze.

“Sweet dreams, Shadow,” she whispers into the darkness. He doesn't say anything back, but he squeezes her hand again.

Morning comes and Shadow leaves to get Amy's things, disappearing in a flash of blinding light and leaving her alone in his room. Which is fine. She's tired, she could do with some more sleep. Except with Shadow gone she finds that she can't relax, can't forget where she is enough to try. Robotnik's lair... what if he comes in while Shadow is gone? What would he do to Amy? Of course, even without that fear, there's still the fact that in the basement of this very building... she swallows and scrubs away the forming tears. Tries to think of anything else. That just leads to thoughts of last night, of what had been said and what hadn't. The look that Shadow’s eyes had gotten, predatory and hungry, and oh so appealing. Her palms start sweating, and she wipes them on her pants.

Instead of letting her mind wander down such embarrassing paths, Amy decides to look around Shadow's room. It's nice, spacious, and well furnished. Shelves line one of the walls, mostly empty, and she wonders what she might have found on them if this were Shadow's actual bedroom. Books, probably. The few times she'd seen him around the school, he'd been reading. One of the shelves here does have things, but Amy rather wishes it didn't. The machete and shotgun from the other day, along with a few more weapons, and the clothes Shadow had borrowed from Manic, clean and mended. On top of them is a sewing needle, still threaded. The stitching is by no means expertly done, but the fact that Shadow had taken the time to do it at all... he'd hated everything about the outfit, and the image of him sitting there, learning how to sew so that he could mend it himself, is almost laughable. It's also terribly depressing. Does he think he'll somehow be able to return them, or was it a sentimental act?

Amy is just finishing making the bed when there's a flash of light behind her. She whirls around and, despite him departing in the same manner earlier, is surprised to see Shadow standing in the centre of the room holding a bag of her things. Thoughts of last night come rushing back and a wave of shyness overtakes her.

“Hey,” she greets.

“Hey,” he greets back, and it's like the morning after their first kiss all over again. She'd felt shy then too. Shy and surprised and _happy_. It seems like such a long time ago, and it seems like just yesterday. She smiles as she looks him over, can't keep her heart from fluttering when he returns that smile. She’s afraid to move, to break this fragile moment that seems almost outside of reality. Then Shadow sets the bag at her feet and reality resumes.

“Could you check to be sure I got everything?” Amy nods, quickly checking through. Clothing, multi-vitamins, deodorant, e-reader... everything except her phone and charger. He'd also brought the contents of her school bag, which she didn't ask for but isn't surprised by. After all, she's going to have a lot of time to herself, assuming Shadow wasn't lying when he'd said he's working for Robotnik now. She wonders if there's a way she can bring that up without putting him on edge. Whatever information the scientist has to offer can't be worth working with him. Surely, she can make Shadow see reason!

Instead of bringing it up, she says, “Aside from my phone, you got everything.”

He nods. “You left your phone at Ma—” he pauses to clear his throat. “At Sonic's, right?”

She ignores the lump that forms in her throat at his slip. “Yeah.”

“Why did you even bring it there?” he wonders and she shrugs, takes a seat on the side of the bed.

“Honestly? Habit.”

He snorts at that, but seems to understand. “And, why do you want it?” he wonders.

“Something to do, mostly. Even if I can't text or call or use data, I have some fun apps.” Shadow nods, then seems to hesitate. “What's up?” she asks.

“I can't go there,” he says. “I will not risk a confrontation with Sonic unless absolutely necessary.

Amy blinks at that. “What? Why? I mean, I know you two have your differences, but—”

“We are no longer on good terms,” Shadow cuts in. “The next time we cross paths, I believe a fight is inevitable.” The way he says it, so calm and indifferent, sends chills up Amy's spine.

“C'mon, surely you're exaggerating,” Amy protests. “Sonic can be hot tempered at times, but there's no way he'd start a fight if you just went to get my stuff.”

Shadow frowns, tilting his head back and pushing a hand through his hair. “The last time I saw him we had... a disagreement,” he says, before smirking. “It seems we have a conflict of interests,” he continues, and the dark satisfaction in his voice leaves Amy feeling cold. There's a cruel gleam in his eyes and an almost malicious set to his mouth, and it reminds Amy a little of the look he'd given Sonic when he'd revealed himself to be completely unharmed from their last fight. In that moment, it's easy to believe he's nothing more than a living weapon.

Amy pushes down the rising spike of fear. This is Shadow, after all. Shadow wouldn't hurt her, he'd sooner hurt himself. She knows he would, he'd _offered_ as much. But even if he hadn't, she can't bear the thought of hurting him any more than she already has, so she pushes down the baseless fear before he can see it. However, she also can't bear the thought of standing by while he hurts her friends. Or anyone, really.

“What did you disagree on?” she asks in an inviting tone, a tone hopefully free from judgment.

Shadow's lips twist into a disdainful expression. “Does it really matter?” he asks, and Amy nods.

“Yes.”

“I...,” he grimaces, trails off. Amy waits while he figures out what he wants to say, reminding herself to be patient. “Amelia, I am working for Robotnik now,” he finally decides on. “Why do you think we had a disagreement? Honestly, I'd be surprised if he _didn't_ attack me on sight at this point.”

“Right,” Amy says, and an oppressive silence descends on them. Amy doubts he'd take an attempt to sway him well right now, but....

“What makes you so sure Robotnik isn't just using you?”

Shadow snorts. “Oh, he is _definitely_ using me.”

Amy blinks at that. “Then, why work with him?” she asks, completely genuine.

Shadow shrugs. “Like I said, he has information I need.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Amelia,” he cuts in. “Can we not?”

She wants to protest, but there's a certain quality to his voice that stops her, an edge that makes him sound bone-weary, makes her want to hold him until all his troubles go away on their own. “Yeah, okay. Sorry.”

He heaves a sigh somewhere between relief and tired. “You don't have to apologize,” he chides. “Talking to me isn't wrong, asking about the things I do isn't wrong. I just...,” he hesitates. “I can't talk about this. Not right now, while I'm in the thick of it.”

Amy nods. She doesn't like being kept in the dark, but she understands. “After, then?”

He hesitates and won't meet her eyes. “Sure,” he says, and his voice is distant. “Once this all blows over.” _If_ this all blows over. The correction goes unsaid, but it lays heavy in the air nonetheless. She's saved from thinking of a way to lighten the mood by a beeping in his pocket. He pulls out an old-school pager, like the kind used in movies, and Amy watches as his lips stretch into another unsettling smile.

“Good news?” she asks as anxiety blossoms in her belly. She tries to ignore the feeling. Shadow is good and safe and warm, and if he's doing something shady then there's a good reason for it.

“Seems like,” he answers as he taps out a response. He sounds eager, and it makes her aware of how enticing his voice is all over again. Another beep, and again she watches as his slender fingers deftly tap out a response. “I have to go for a bit,” he says as he re-pockets the small device. “Will you be alright here on your own?”

Amy swallows and tries to seem at ease. “Oh, here? Sure. I have my e-reader, so I'll be alright. I mean, it's not like I'm in any danger, right?” She laughs nervously. “So, I'll be fine. I mean good. Great, even. I'll—”

“Amy,” Shadow cuts in as her voice starts raising in pitch, as her words fight for the right to be first out of her mouth. “Breathe.” He walks over, bends to rest his hands on her shoulders. “You're okay. You're brave, and strong, and far more capable than you seem to believe. You will be fine, just breathe. I believe in you. And....” He bites his lip and drops his gaze. There's a slight tremor in his hands, but Amy doubts she'd have noticed it if they weren't on her shoulders.

“And?” she prompts when it becomes clear he isn't going to continue on his own. He closes his eyes for a second, just long enough to take a deep breath and ground himself. When his eye re-open, she finds herself frozen by the intensity of his stare.

“So long as I live, I promise I will not let anything else happen to you.” He's blushing as he says it, and she wants to tell him not to make promises he can't keep. Except, from Shadow it doesn't seem so unrealistic. And, even if it did... it feels quite nice having someone care enough to make that kind of gesture. Without thought she stands up and presses a soft kiss to his lips. He doesn't hesitate to kiss her back, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer. Amy sighs against Shadow's mouth, bringing her hands up to his chest and clutching at his shirt. All her tension just melts away. Sure, Shadow is working for Robotnik now, and sometimes he gets that scary look in his eyes, but when he kisses her it feels right. Safe, and warm, and so very right.

One of his hands ghosts along her spine, traces patterns on her back. She slides her own hands up further, tracing the muscles up the back of his neck before pushing her fingers into his hair. His breath hitches at the contact and her knees go weak. She leans into him, and he's solid, steady. His tongue teases her lips and his hands clutch at her back, and Amy swears his heart is beating through his chest, echoing her own and resounding through her until she can no longer tell where one pulse ends and the other begins. She brings his lower lip between her teeth and he makes a small noise at the back of his throat, tugs on her so that she's pressed more firmly against him.

Shadow pulls away for a second, and Amy is surprised to find that he's panting. She tangles her fingers in his hair, delighting in the way the soft curls wrap around her digits, and brings his lips back to her own. He leans forward, and Amy has to take a step back to maintain her balance. Except the bed is still right behind her. She feels her calf bump into it, and her heart flutters as she lowers herself onto it, making sure to keep a hand knotted in Shadow's hair as she does so, pulling him down with her. He doesn't resist, and when she scoots back, he doesn't hesitate to lift one of his knees onto the bed, leaning in and using one arm to hold himself up while the other holds Amy to him. His breath is hot against her lips and his hair tickles her face, but he's not nearly close enough. Amy hooks a finger through one of his belt loops and draws him in, forcing him to bring his other knee onto the bed before straddling her. He swallows and Amy smiles against his mouth, leaning forward until their chests are nearly touching again. The hand he was previously leaning on shakes as it comes to rest on her waist, his fingers brushing softly against her side. His hands are too warm, but Amy doesn't mind. She brushes her tongue against his lips, only to gasp when he sucks it into his mouth for a moment.

One of her fingers is still hooked through Shadow's belt loop, and she considers trying to pull him more firmly against herself when the pager goes off again, startling them both and causing Amy to jump. Shadow lets out a soft curse, scrambling to his feet and pulling his pager out once more.

“I have to go,” he says, and there's no mistaking the breathy quality to his voice.

“Are you sure?” Amy asks before biting her lip in a move that she really hopes looks sexier than it feels.

He hesitates, licking his lips. She reaches for his belt loop again, tugs at it until he resumes his previous position, straddling her once more. “Yes,” he breathes, even as he leans in to continue kissing her. The pager beeps again. “I _really_ have to go,” he informs her, and she nods, feels a blush rising in her cheeks.

“Right, yeah. You should go, I'll be fine.”

He frowns at her for a moment before shaking his head. “I know you will,” he says as she absently traces his hip bone with her thumb. He shivers. “I have to go,” he repeats softly.

She nods. “Stay safe.”

Again, he presses his lips to hers, and again the pager lets out an indignant beep, as if it's aware of what's going on. Shadow makes a frustrated noise and growls out the words “Chaos Control” against Amy's mouth. There's a flash of light, and then she's alone. One second, Shadow's lips are on hers, his knees framing her hips, and the next he's gone. Disorienting is an understatement, and Amy is glad she's already sitting down.


	17. Chapter 16 - Head straight for your goal by any means

Thursday, December 2nd, 9:03am, Sunset Park

Time and space bend around Shadow, folding to his will like paper folds into origami cranes. Each time he uses Chaos Control to teleport it becomes a bit easier; what had once required all of his attention is now achieved with nary a second thought. The familiar energies sing in his veins for a split second before receding, leaving only a faint residue, a half remembered tingling in his fingers and spine. By some miracle he lands on his feet, despite the awkward position he'd been in a heartbeat ago. His pager goes off again, but the person beeping him is only a few feet away, back to him and foot tapping impatiently. She turns at the noise and Shadow crosses his arms, holding his head high as he wills his heart to slow down. He hopes his cheeks aren't as flushed as they feel.

“This had better be good,” he says by way of greeting.

Rouge opens her mouth to reply but pauses as she takes in the sight of him. Then she raises an eyebrow and her lips twitch into an amused smirk. “My my,” she teases, “look what the cat dragged in. I take it Miss Rose has found you?”

If the flush weren't obvious before, it is now. “I have no idea what you're talking about,” he says stiffly.

“Oh please,” Rouge snorts, looking him up and down in a way that makes him feel horribly exposed. “I'm not an idiot. Besides,” she pauses, eyes taking on a mischievous glint, “your blush gives you away.”

Shadow scowls, resisting the urge to smooth down his hair and clothes. “I have a lot on my plate right now,” he informs her. “If you only called to make lewd accusations then I'm leaving. The Chaos Emeralds won't find themselves.”

Rouge huffs and crosses her arms. “Oh come on, no need to be such a stick in the mud.” Shadow snarls, and she raises her hands. “Alright, alright, I yield. Yeesh.” She pauses, and he makes an impatient gesture. “Were you always this rude?” she demands, before making an irritated sound in the back of her throat. “Fine, whatever. We think we've located the next Emerald. Safe to assume you're interested?”

Shadow snorts. “Obviously.”

She rolls her eyes at his tone. “Right. Look, if I'm going to do this for you, I need a little something in return,” she says, and if Shadow were an animal, his ears would have flattened against his skull at that. She continues on, either oblivious to or ignoring Shadow's displeasure. “I'm not asking much, but I deserve to know what I'm getting myself into.”

He hesitates at that. He doesn't _want_ to involve Rouge, doesn't want to involve anybody really, but he doesn’t have a choice unless he wants to fight Sonic for every single Emerald. It's a bitter thought, and in this moment more than a little tempting. But then he remembers just how much Sonic had looked like Manic laying there, half conscious and dying. “The doctor and I need all seven Chaos Emeralds to unlock the true potential of Project Shadow and take on G.U.N.,” he finds himself saying, and he hopes the summary is enough.

“But _you're_ Project Shadow,” she says, as if he'd forgotten. “And, what do you mean by ‘take on G.U.N.’? Why?” Of course the summary isn't enough. Rouge is never satisfied until she knows everything.

He lets out a beleaguered sigh and shoots her a dirty look before trying to find the words to articulate his reasons without giving them away. “They... took something from me. Something precious, that I can never get back. I intend to make them pay.”

“But that was fifty years ago,” Rouge points out. “What makes you think the people involved are even alive anymore?”

Shadow pauses to consider her words. He thinks of Maria, and of his birth parents who he will never know. He thinks of his lost humanity. “It doesn't matter, they took everything from me. If there's even a chance that I can repay the favour, then I'm taking it.”

Rouge scowls. “Oh, come off it, Shadow, be reasonable. If—”

“No!” he snaps as the Chaos saturating his every cell begins waking up, begging to be used. “Don't talk about things you know nothing about!”

“I know enough!” she retorts, reminding him that, oh yeah, _Rouge_ was the one who found the files about him in the first place. How could he have forgotten? The reminder makes him angrier, if anything. If she knows so much then why can't she understand? Why can't she see that this is all he has left? “I've read Robotnik's files,” she continues, and Shadow wants to scream at her. “He's using you.”

As if that weren't obvious. “And?”

The two stand there for a moment, locking eyes and refusing to back down. Shadow struggles to control his emotions. Rouge clearly has no idea what he's going through, couldn't possibly. The nerve of her, telling him to be reasonable as if she understands, as if she can relate. His anger mingles with the Chaos in his blood, combining to become something _more_. It builds up like before and he focuses on his breathing, focuses on keeping it contained. There's an itching sensation in his fingers and along his spine, and he struggles to suppress it.

“Shadow?” Rouge's voice is so soft that it barely registers. “Your eyes....” Her fingers brush against his cheek, causing him to flinch and step away. He hates the pity in her expression. “Shadow, you don't need Robotnik. You're better than him. Come back to us.”

He closes his eyes, takes a few deep, even breaths. When he opens them again, he's calm. There's still an almost painful buildup of Chaos inside him, but that's fine; Chaos is a part of him. He uses the ache to stay grounded, stable. When he speaks, his voice is calm. “I appreciate your concern but I know what I'm doing. Now, I've told you why I need the Emeralds, may I have the location you've found, or has this been a waste of my time?”

For a moment Rouge looks as tired as Shadow feels, but she shrugs it off. “Yeah, okay. A deal's a deal, after all. The next Emerald should be in the storage area underneath the museum, if our information is correct.”

Shadow nods his thanks, even as a thought strikes him. “What's your source?” he wonders, and Rouge visibly hesitates as she debates answering. When she replies, it's in that same soft tone as before, the one Shadow has to strain to hear.

“Your mother,” she says, and he hates the pang in his heart when he thinks of her.

“I see,” is all he says in reply. Rouge opens her mouth to say something else, but he doesn't want to hear it, so he let's out a soft “Chaos Control” and focuses on leaving, on twisting the energies built up inside him with just a hint of power from the Emerald. Time and space fold around him once again, the familiar pressure pulling at him and crushing him all at once. Between one heartbeat and the next he goes from the sun-baked field four blocks from his house to Robotnik's control room. He appears behind the scientist in a flash of light.

Robotnik raises an eyebrow as he turns around. “Ah, Shadow. I was wondering when you'd join me. How did your… _interrogations_ go?”

Shadow allows an insolent smirk to grace his lips. “Well. Very well. She caved before I so much as lifted a finger, begged me not to hurt her,” he lies, before launching into a tale of how he alternately threatened and bribed Amy for information, talking her into revealing the location of the next Emerald before reporting in.

Robotnik is scowling as Shadow finishes up his story. “You learned the location of another Emerald and you didn't go straight to it? I'm disappointed in you, Shadow. I thought you were smarter than this.”

Shadow's lips pull into a snarl and his hands clench into fists at his sides. He considers lunging at the old man in front of him, wrapping his hands around the scientist's fleshy neck and squeezing it until he feels everything that holds it together break apart under his fingers. But no, it's not the time for that. Not yet. Instead, he swallows his anger, forces it down. He can't bring himself to smile at Robotnik, but at least he manages a civil tone when he speaks.

“Apologies, doctor. I assumed you wouldn't want me acting without your approval.”

That earns a scoff. “I think it's a safe bet that I want you to retrieve any Emeralds you learn about,” he says, and Shadow manages a stiff bow.

“As you wish,” he sneers, before turning on his heel to leave. Robotnik's next words freeze him in his tracks, however.

“And what of your meeting at the park?”

“What meeting at the park?” Shadow tries, turning back.

Something dark crosses Dr. Robotnik's features and Shadow knows he's made a mistake. “Don't play dumb with me, boy. When you requested a second pager did you really think I wouldn't keep tabs on them both? I control the networks. Anything you receive, I receive.” Shadow swallows. “Now, I don't mind you having an informant, but if you're going to keep secrets, you could at least _try_ to be smart about it.”

Shadow lets out a shuddering breath as he resists the urge to smite the man before him with Chaos. His mind races for an excuse. “My... girlfriend has the other pager,” he says, hating himself for putting that target on Rouge's back. But, if it keeps suspicions away from his real girlfriend, the one stuck inside this lair with its deadly robots....

Robotnik raises an eyebrow. “And you didn't think to tell me this because…?”

He hesitates, thinking of a believable reason. Well, what could be a more believable reason for not telling the scientist about his girlfriend than the truth? “I did not wish for you to know about her.”

Robotnik tuts at this. “Shadow, Shadow, Shadow. So distrusting. What _am_ I going to do with you?”

Shadow waits for a moment, before deciding he can't get into any more trouble than he likely already is. “Is that all?” he asks, turning slightly to indicate a desire to leave.

“Not until you tell me what your girlfriend so badly wanted to share.”

Shadow shrugs. “She was able to convince Sonic and his friends to trust her with the location of an Emerald. Unfortunately, it’s the same Emerald Miss Rose was kind enough to tell me about.”

Robotnik lets out a soft _tsk_. “Pity, that.”

Shadow nods, “truly,” then turns to go. He is not stopped a third time.

Shadow surveys the exterior of the museum, looking for the best way into the battered building. He wonders if it's even safe to go in there. It's still standing, but the walls have visible cracks in them. He sighs and shakes his head. If there's really an Emerald in there then he has to get it before Sonic does, and that's that. Perhaps he should have looked up the building's blueprints before setting off. He doesn't relish the idea of wandering around hoping he stumbles across basement access.

Then again, he could just use Chaos Control to get in, certainly he's _close_ enough. Using his abilities to reach unfamiliar places is probably risky, but... no, best to avoid unnecessary risks. Another sigh, and he decides to try one of the entrances. It's going to be fine. One final circuit around the building until he finds a door that's fallen off its hinges, and then he's inside.

A thick layer of dust coats everything and the only sources of light are the windows. Shadow walks through the wide corridors, pushing down years-old memories of being here before. The last visit had been when he was thirteen, on a school trip. The memory is so divorced from his current reality that it feels more like an idea than a memory. He ignores the quasi-familiar shapes of the exhibits, ignores the debris on the floor. The Emerald in his pocket is starting to resonate with something deeper in the building, and when he pulls it out he's surprised to see the energies in it pulsing quite quickly. He takes a step and it slows down, tries the other direction only to have the same result. He frowns, wondering if this means the Emerald is right beneath his feet. Except, the pulses are slowing down again, and he's not moving. Shadow growls. Like hell is he going to let another Emerald get away!

He gathers the power of Chaos into his hand, drawing from his Emerald. He focuses his energy, releases it at the ground in front of him. Golden lightning arcs from his fingers to the floor, smashing through it like little more than papier-mâché. He peers into the hole he's created and sees a light approaching, watches as the light gets brighter, feels his Emerald thrumming faster and faster. Sonic comes into view, holding a lantern in one hand and a glowing purple gem in the other. He squints up into the hole, holding his lantern higher.

“Who's there?” Sonic calls, and Shadow wonders if he should answer. “Hello?” If he answers there's no guarantee that Sonic will stick around. “What's the matter?” Sonic jeers, and Shadow doesn't miss the slight waver in his voice. “Scared?” Shadow snorts at that, considering the hole. It seems big enough.... “Come on,” Sonic continues, all false bravado. “Don't make me come up there,” he says, trying to sound threatening. Well, that's invitation enough, Shadow supposes. He takes a step forward, dropping through the hole. Sonic yelps, jumping out of the way just in time for Shadow to land in front of him. And then Sonic starts laughing.

“Oh, Shadow, it's just you,” he says, sounding relieved. “I thought it was one of 'Buttnik's robots or something.”

Shadow raises an eyebrow at that. “Better for you if it were, or are you forgetting last time?”

Sonic's eye twitches at the comment, but he actually manages to brush it off. “Last time I was half starved and hadn't slept in over forty-eight hours.”

Shadow rolls his eyes. “And the time before that?”

Sonic's grin falters, but he refuses to be baited. “Okay, not that I don't love our chats, but I really don't have time for small talk. So, if you'll excuse me.” He turns to go, but Shadow isn't done yet. It takes next to no effort for Shadow to snap from where he's standing to directly in front of Sonic, as easy as flexing a muscle. Teleporting less than five feet, as it turns out, is _significantly_ easier than teleporting across town. He doesn't miss the way Sonic flinches.

“Oh, but Sonic,” Shadow drawls, “we haven't even gotten to the meat of our conversation yet.”

Sonic snorts. “Let me guess, you want the Emerald. Sorry Shads, but I'll pass,” he replies, brushing past Shadow.

Instead of stopping him, Shadow examines his fingernails with feigned indifference. “Such a pity,” he says. “Amelia will be most disappointed.” Sonic halts in his tracks, and Shadow pretends to be struck by a thought. “Oh, did I forget to mention she’s staying with us? With me and the doctor?”

Sonic turns back to Shadow, slowly. “You did, actually,” he says in a tight voice. “Is she...,” he swallows, and Shadow tilts his head. “She's safe, right?”

Shadow scoffs at that. “Sure,” he says, forcing his voice to remain uninterested, “for now. But, I'd hate it if something were to happen to her because of your decisions.”

Sonic blinks. “And, ah, _why_ would something happen to her?” It's clear from his expression that he gets what Shadow is saying but doesn't want to believe it.

Shadow raises an eyebrow, willing Sonic to buy his bluff. “Sorry, I forgot how dull-witted you are. That was a threat,” he purrs, because that's what the bad guys do, right? And Shadow needs Sonic to see him as the bad guy if he's going to pull this off.

“A threat?” Sonic echoes, voice flat. “You expect me to believe that you would let something happen to her, just because I won't hand over the Emerald?”

“ _Let_ something happen? Of course not,” Shadow scoffs, stepping closer and invading Sonic's space so that he can whisper in his ear. “I intend to hurt her myself,” he confides, skin crawling at the very idea.

Sonic scowls, shoving him away. “That's not funny, Shadow. Don't play around.”

Shadow wills himself to not look as nauseated as he feels. “Who's playing? Hand over the Emerald unless you want to be responsible for Amy's suffering.”

Sonic swallows. “You're bluffing,” he says, but Shadow doesn't miss the hint of a tremor in his voice, the way he almost stumbles over the first word. One more push and he'll cave, he'll hand over the Emerald and no one will need to get hurt; Amy probably wouldn't be too thrilled if Shadow were to seriously injure Sonic, even if he _is_ a pain in the ass. Shadow prepares to give Sonic that final push, he just has to figure out what it will take to convince the other teen he's serious. The image of blackened flesh and green hair flashes through his mind, and he nearly gags at the memory. The thought of using Manic's death to manipulate Sonic makes the bile rise in his throat. Is he really willing to stoop so low? He thinks of Amy alone in the lair with _Robotnik_. He can make his peace later.

“I killed your brother,” Shadow says, forcing his features to twist into some approximation of amusement. “Didn't I?”

Sonic flinches. “That wasn't you,” he says, voice wavering. “It was one of Robotnik's robots.”

Shadow nods. “True, but I let it happen.” He keeps a grin plastered on his face, willing himself not to vomit at the memory.

“You said there was nothing you could do,” Sonic protests, tears welling in his eyes.

“Do you really believe that?” Shadow asks in his most derisive voice. “I can teleport. I can slow down time. Hell, I can _reverse_ time. I could have saved him.” The truth of it all makes it so much harder for Shadow to maintain his arrogant expression. He should have insisted on bringing their Emerald along, he could have figured it out. He could have saved Manic. He's distracted from these thoughts by Sonic's wordless snarl. Before Sonic can collide with him, Shadow snaps from one place to another, easy as breathing. He grabs Sonic by the hair and yanks him back, throwing him to the ground. Sonic recovers quickly, but Shadow already has him pinned. His grin falters when he sees the tears and snot smeared across Sonic's face, and again he can't help but switch the two, picture Manic pinned and crying beneath him. It doesn't help that Sonic isn't wearing his contacts today.

Disgusted with himself, Shadow gets to his feet. “Hand over the Emerald, Sonic,” he snaps. “I tire of this.” He hopes the bite in his voice is taken as irritation, because he knows it's only a matter of time before the act shatters.

After a moment Sonic sits up and holds out the Emerald. “Just don't hurt Amy,” he pleads. Shadow hesitates for a moment before nodding as he takes the Emerald.

“I won’t, but I can't speak for the scientist. Pray he continues to see use in her.” With that, he takes a step back and draws on his two Emeralds, focusing on the lair, on Robotnik's control room. He appears directly in front of Robotnik, causing the scientist to start. It's not as satisfying as it might have been another time, and Shadow wordlessly tosses the Emerald at his captor and his salvation, his means to an end. And then he's gone, disappearing to his rooms before Robotnik can say anything. He's in no mood to deal with that man right now.

Thursday, December 2nd, 10:36am, Shadow's Suite

Amy has just finished towelling her hair dry when she hears a thump in the next room. Her heart leaps into her throat as she pictures robots or Robotnik coming for her, but she wills herself to be calm. It's probably just Shadow. She takes a deep breath, then another, and then she cracks the bathroom door open and peers into the main room. Shadow is in the centre of the room, collapsed on his knees, staring vacantly at the floor in front of him. The air around him is wrong, blurry like the horizon on a hot day, and the red of his eyes and streaks in his hair are much brighter than she's ever seen before.

“Shadow?” she calls, tentative. He doesn't respond, doesn't even blink. She takes a step out of the bathroom and tries again. “Shadow?”

He takes a shuddering breath, and she's surprised to see tears streaming down his face. She takes another step towards him but he doesn't look up. Another step, and another. The closer she gets, the stranger the air feels; hot and thick and static-y. She kneels in front of him and can feel the hair on her head trying to stand on end.

“Shadow?” This time he notices. His eyes shift to hers and he looks so miserable that she's unable to stop herself from leaning forward and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He's trembling and she doesn't know how to feel about that. And then his arms snake around her waist and he buries his face in her shoulder. Amy's always seen Shadow as a bit larger than life, but in this moment, with him shaking and crying into her shoulder, he seems small, frail. Like the sick child he once was, and not the immortal killing machine they'd apparently made him into. He seems like her, like Sonic, like everyone else. His skin is too hot and the static in the air causes little sparks to jump between them, but she doesn't let go. Instead, she rubs small circles into his back, hoping they're soothing. The energy around them slowly recedes in tandem with Shadow's shaking.

“Amy,” he begins after what feels like an eon, “do you think Hell is real?”

The question catches her off guard, and it’s a moment before she speaks. Honestly, she'd never really thought about it. “I don't know, but I guess it could be?”

He lets out a bitter laugh, pulling away to sit up straight. “Then it's a good thing I'm going to live forever.” Amy has no idea how to react. What do you even _say_ to that? Shadow gets to his feet and holds his hand out to help Amy to her own. Instead of letting him, she uses her grip to pull him back down, back into her arms. At first he freezes up, but when he sighs and leans into her embrace, adjusting until he's comfortable, she begins stroking his hair softly and hopes the gentle touches are soothing. After a while, Shadow speaks up again.

“Sonic will be coming for you soon,” he says, and it's Amy's turn to freeze up.

“He is?” she asks, and Shadow nods. “How can you be so sure?”

“He believes you're in danger.”

Amy hesitates. “Am I?”

Shadow shrugs. “You're in Robotnik's lair,” he points out. “The lair of the man who bombed our city, killing thousands. The man whose robots are directly responsible for the death of our friend. The man who will do anything to get the Emeralds from Sonic. It's only a matter of time before he uses you as leverage.”

Amy frowns. “I thought you said you wouldn't let anything happen to me?” she asks, genuinely curious. Shadow huffs at that.

“Part of that is getting you out of dangerous situations,” he answers. “Situations like being held hostage by an evil scientist and his army of robots.” Well, when he puts it like that....

“I don't want to leave you,” she whispers, and he wraps his arms tighter around her.

“You will be safer away from me,” he replies before pressing his lips softly against her own. “Please go with Sonic when he comes for you,” he pleads when they separate. “I'd feel better knowing you were safe, surrounded by your friends.”

It's Amy's turn to huff. “I can handle myself,” she points out, earning a warm smile from Shadow.

“I am well aware,” he replies, pressing another kiss to her lips. “You are fierce, and strong, and wonderful. I have no doubts that you can handle yourself. But, I can't handle leaving you here all day where Robotnik can so easily get to you. So, will you please let Sonic rescue you? For me?”

She wants to protest but the sincerity in Shadow's voice makes her all warm and fuzzy inside, and she caves. “Yeah, okay. But I'm not going to be happy about it.”

“Thank you,” he says, and the naked relief in his voice is enough to make it worth it.

Over the next few days, Amy stays in Shadow's room, spending time with him when she can and waiting when she can't. At first, the lazy pace is a welcome change, but it doesn't take very long for it to grate on her, before she starts feeling antsy. It's like the calm before a storm, and it doesn't help that she's confined to two rooms. If she could wander the lair freely, she'd at least have something to do, but she understands why she can't. She tries to distract herself with her e-reader and her textbooks. That's totally enough to keep her occupied, and she definitely isn't bored. Or at least, that's what she tells herself, what she tells Shadow. And how messed up is it that people are dead and dying and Amy is worried about being _bored_?

She wishes she'd thought to ask him to grab her makeup. It would have been fun to see how Shadow reacted if she got all dolled up for him. Certainly it would have been more fun than studying History, which is how they were spending their evenings. Well, at least she'll be ready whenever she goes back to school... if she goes back to school at all. The idea seems too big, or maybe too small. Going back to school? To her old life? She doubts she can. But, what will happen when everything blows over? Or, will it ever blow over? Actually, a better question is what is going to happen now? Surely G.U.N. will defeat Robotnik, but then what? And what will that mean for Shadow? Amy tries not to follow this train of thought, tries to ignore the bad feeling it leaves in her mouth the same way she tries to ignore the gnawing guilt over not helping somehow. She wonders what her friends will say when they find out she's been staying cozy and safe with her boyfriend while they've all been fighting for their lives. She wonders how disappointed they'll be. She tries not to follow that train of thought either.

On her third day in the lair, she gets a deadline and it’s too soon. “Sonic will be here tonight,” Shadow tells her. She's not ready to go back, to leave him. Except, she's itching to be _doing_ something, to be _useful_. She tries to swallow down her conflicting emotions.

Thursday, December 2nd, 10:36am, Station Square Museum of National History

Sonic curls into a ball as Shadow disappears in a flash of light, pressing his hands to his face. For the second time since losing his twin, Sonic allows himself to mourn. And then, when the tears won't come anymore, Sonic runs.

He runs from the museum as fast and as far as he can, paying little heed to where he’s going, his only destination being _away_. Familiar faces run with him, half seen in flashes and fragments in the flickering lights and broken glass of buildings he passes, in the dusted and dirty windshields of cars.

Sonia. Bunnie. Manic. Shadow. Amy. Sonia. Manic. _Shadow_.

Of all the losses, that one stings the most. Not because he and Sonic had been particularly close, but because the other teen had been so convincing, so sincere in his grief. The tears Sonic thought he’d heard in Shadow’s voice when he defended himself after coming back without Manic, the way he looked struck down when Amy had put the blame squarely on his shoulders.... To find out that it was all an act, that he could have _done_ something to save Manic....

And now, the _gall_ to hold Amy captive, to threaten her like that! Sonic’s jaw clenches and a pit opens in his stomach. Amy cared for him enough to go rescue him. She’d trusted Shadow, her faith so strong that everybody else had as well. But in the end, Shadow betrayed everyone.

Sonic glances up in time to see the flagpole of a school rising above the houses on the next street over. Taking a sharp left, he jogs through the empty and broken neighbourhood to a relatively stable looking building that had once been an elementary school. A quick scan of the fields reveal what Sonic was hoping to find; a track loop. He automatically slows his pace to cross the field, mindful even now of gofer holes and broken ankles, but as the sole of his shoe meets the rubberized laneway, Sonic kicks back in to full speed. He needs to blow off some steam before returning to Tails’ workshop. He’ll need a clear head to make plans for rescuing Amy.

The track is smaller than the one he’s used to, but the hypnotic circles still help to lull Sonic towards a familiar calm, pushing his anger down into the pit in his stomach where it roils and bubbles beneath a layer of frozen fury. There’s nothing he can do about the others, but he has to try for Amy. He has to be better than before. There will be time to deal with the anger later when he deals with Shadow once and for all.

Despite his run, Sonic is still seething by the time he returns to Tails' workshop. Not only is he returning empty handed, but he's also breaking news of Amy being held captive. He wants to scream. His run gave him clarity, and he sees now that it's _his_ fault that Amy is a prisoner. If he hadn't run off when he'd first been told about Manic then he could have gone with her on her rescue mission, and then when Shadow had turned out to be evil, Sonic could have gotten her out of there.

Shadow... the thought of him riles Sonic up all over again. He still can't believe he'd trusted that... that _faker_!

Tails turns to him excitedly as Sonic lets himself in. “Was it there?”

Sonic groans. “Yeah, it was, but so was Shadow,” he answers, and there's a sharp hissing noise as someone sucks in air through their teeth. He glances over and is unsurprised to see Rouge perched on a workbench. She's been hanging around a lot lately, helping out however she can. He'd always thought of her as superficial before, but now he's grateful to have her quick thinking and iron determination.

“But you got the Emerald, right?” Tails asks, having way too much confidence in his best friend.

“Do I look like I got it?” Sonic snaps, instantly regretting it when Tails flinches. It's not _his_ fault Shadow is a traitor, after all. “Sorry Tails, that was uncalled for. I just... I...,” He takes a moment to collect himself, a rarity for Sonic. “Shadow is holding Amy captive.”

“Oh. Well I mean, that's not too bad, is it?” Tails asks, and Sonic stares disbelievingly. Not too bad? _Not too bad_? “I mean,” Tails continues, “they're dating, aren't they? So it's not like he'd let anything happen to her, even if he _has_ gone all darkside on us.”

“Shadow is a monster,” Sonic states flatly as he throws himself onto the couch.

Rouge and Tails both look startled, but only Rouge protests. “What the hell are you talking about? Shadow can be an ass sometimes, and he has a nasty temper, but—”

“He threatened Amy,” Sonic cuts in. “Said he'd hurt her if I didn't hand over the Emerald.”

Rouge snorts. “And you believed him?”

“Not at first,” Sonic admits, running a hand down his face. “But it's his fault Manic is dead.”

“Sonic!” Tails gasps, and the heat in Sonic's chest flares up again. “Don't blame Shadow for something he couldn't control!”

Sonic's face contorts into a snarl against his will. Do they have _any_ idea? “He _told_ me it was his fault! He seemed _amused_!”

Tails flinches at Sonic's tone, but Rouge seems unimpressed. “Are you sure you didn't just misunderstand?”

Sonic is livid. “That's not the sort of thing you misunderstand!” he barks. The very idea! Rouge and Tails wilt under his gaze, and again Sonic feels a wave of shame. “Look, I know you guys were friends and all, but Shadow is _bad_. We need to get Amy out of there A.S.A.P..”

“That's not going to be easy,” Rouge points out. “There are six of us, assuming we can get Blaze and Silver again, against an endless supply of them.”

“That's fine, it's probably best if I go alone, anyway.” Rouge raises an eyebrow at this, prompting Sonic to spell it out for her. “I'm fast. I can run in, grab Amy, and run out. Piece of cake.”

Rouge frowns. “Don't be so sure. With Shadow working for Robotnik, robots will be the least of your concerns.”

Sonic snorts. “Please, I can take Shadow. He thinks the Emeralds make him all-powerful, but he's only human.”

“About that,” Rouge begins, and a sinking feeling forms in his gut. She tells them about Project Shadow, about how he’s a living weapon. Sonic listens as a well of despair opens wider and wider in him. How are they supposed to beat something like that?

When Rouge is finished filling them in, Sonic goes outside and finds his way onto the roof of the workshop. Stars twinkle overhead, reminding him for no particular reason of the gold hoop earrings his mother wore on occasion. Maybe he’s just being sentimental now that he knows his brother was killed by a super weapon. That’s all Shadow is, isn’t it? Sure, Sonic's seen him bleed when cut, seen him breathing hard after a run, but he never _kept_ his bruises, never seemed to wear his weariness like a normal person. Shadow had always been super smart, like how computers or AI are. Maybe that’s why he didn’t have friends except for Manic and Rouge; weapons don’t care about things, why would they need anyone?

Sonic wonders briefly if there are more like Shadow, but dismisses the thought. If there were, someone would have brought them in by now to deal with this.

Glancing down at his hands, bruised and swollen with cuts across the knuckles, Sonic knows he needs a new approach. Shadow _isn’t_ like them, and Sonic can’t keep fighting him like he is.

An image of Robotnik's lair floats through Sonic’s mind; a group of kids holding off an army of robots with nothing but household objects. Sonic himself smashing one to pieces with a baseball bat that remained relatively unharmed through the encounter.

Even as Sonic pushes the memory from his mind, a small touch of hope brightens in the darkness of his belly and the hint of a grim smile curves his mouth. Shadow might not be human, but every weapon has a weakness.

After that, it takes three days of arguing to come up with a plan. They eventually agree on a plan much like Amy's: Tails will fly Sonic and Rouge to the lair under the cover of night, drop them off the roof, and fly off. Sonic and Rouge will then make their way inside and look for Amy. Once they find her, they will try to find a way into the tunnels underneath, or something like that. Sonic doesn't really pay attention to the escape part. It's a lot easier to plan an entrance than an exit, after all.

Knuckles is wholly against them going in without him, but there technically isn't even room for Sonic and Rouge in the Tornado, much less the two of them plus Knuckles and his very broad shoulders. And, as Rouge points out, it will do no good if they're all caught. Better to have Knuckles in reserve as the backup plan. He is, after all, the strongest of them.

And then it’s Sunday night, and Sonic and Rouge are crammed into the backseat of the biplane, Rouge nestled awkwardly in Sonic's lap. He's glad that the seatbelt actually fits around the both of them, even if it's causing Rouge to shift uncomfortably against him. Better safe than sorry and all, but he does wish she'd stop squirming.

Once on top of the building, Sonic and Rouge try the roof access only to find the door locked. Sonic prepares to ram into it in an attempt to break it down, but is stopped by Rouge placing a hand on his chest.

“Easy there, big boy. Some things require a more... delicate approach.”

Was... was that an innuendo? At a time like this? Sonic watches Rouge sashay past him, pulling something out of her hair. At the door, she gets down on one knee and begins fiddling with the lock. Not even a minute later, the door swings open. “Where did you learn to do that?” Sonic asks, and Rouge shoots him an amused grin.

“What can I say? I've got magic fingers,” she drawls with a wink.

Sonic frowns and isn't sure what to say to that. He's not exactly one for flirting at the best of times, if that even _was_ flirting, and now's definitely not the best of times.

They enter the building and start searching for Amy. They creep through the halls and after a while, Sonic starts to wonder where all the guards are. They don't so much as hear a robot, even off in the distance, and it makes the whole thing seem too easy, as if someone wants them to make it inside. The thought freezes Sonic in his tracks, because that's it isn't it? After their last encounter, Shadow would've had to be an idiot not to expect Sonic to come for Amy, and they've had days to prepare. Is this a trap, then? But how would they know when to expect him? Sure, they could have seen the Tornado coming, but would that have given them enough warning to get the halls cleared?

Sonic opens his mouth to share his concerns with Rouge when a familiar flash of light distracts him, and then Shadow is standing there giving Sonic and Rouge a condescending look. Sonic's blood boils over and, without a second thought, he lunges at his former ally, lashing out with the baseball bat he'd brought as his weapon of choice. Shadow scoffs, blinking out of existence in front of Sonic, but Sonic is expecting it, is ready for it, and he turns his momentum into a spin, whirling on the spot to strike the air behind him. It connects with a fleshy _smack_ and Shadow staggers back a step, bringing a hand up to clutch his temple where a nasty bruise is already beginning to form. Sonic doesn't let up, swinging again and again, repeatedly bringing his bat against his foe. All the anger he’s been holding floods out of him. How dare Shadow betray them? How dare he work for Robotnik? How dare he threaten Amy? How _dare_ he throw Manic's death in Sonic's face like that?

Dimly, Sonic is aware of Rouge yelling at him, shouting “Sonic, what the hell are you doing!?” He ignores her, goes to strike Shadow again. This time, Shadow catches the bat in his hand and yanks it out of Sonic's grasp.

“Enough,” Shadow snarls, pausing to pop his jaw back into place before spitting a gob of blood off to the side. “Feel better?” he jabs, but before Sonic can answer with a resounding 'No!', Shadow is continuing. “If you don't want Amelia getting hurt then I suggest you come with me.”

Sonic freezes, swallowing down his rage, and after a pause he nods. As much as he hates Shadow, as much as he wants to _make him pay_ , there are more important things to worry about. After all, Amy is still alive, and Sonic plans to keep it that way. With that in mind, Sonic devotes his willpower to keeping his hands at his sides. He watches as Rouge hovers around Shadow, asking if he's alright, if Sonic had left any lasting damage. Sonic doesn't know if it's the way Rouge is fawning over Shadow that makes him sick, or if it's the realization that he would have killed the other teen if he could have. He reminds himself that Shadow is a weapon, an object, and not a person.

For his part, Shadow doesn't so much as glance at Sonic or Rouge as he leads them through various hallways down to a well-guarded room near the centre of the lair. Whatever door was there before has since been replaced by a sleek metallic one, and it slides open at Shadow's approach. They walk into a well-lit chamber filled with various monitors and control panels. And there, at the far end of the room, is a man Sonic can only assume is Robotnik. With his bushy moustache, flabby physique, and ridiculously bright outfit, he doesn't _look_ all that intimidating, but this is the man who singlehandedly levelled half a city. Not a man to be taken lightly.

“So you're Sonic,” the scientist muses, looking him up and down. “I've got to admit, I was expecting more than some kid.”

Sonic takes a deep, calming breath. He needs to play it cool; he can't afford to offend this man until they know where Amy is. “And you must be 'Buttnik,” he begins, nickname slipping out without thought. Well, so much for playing it cool. Perhaps an air of confidence will work, though?

“Right,” Robotnik says, with a raised eyebrow. “Well, shall we talk business? I assume you're here for the girl.”

“Yes, and if you're smart, you'll hand her over,” Sonic says, as if he isn't surrounded by the same robots that killed Manic.

“Oho,” Robotnik laughs. “The kid has spunk! Unfortunately, you can't get something for nothing in this world. So how about it? Your friend for the Chaos Emeralds?”

Sonic scowls, even though he was expecting this. “No way!”

Robotnik shrugs. “Alright, then I'll kill her.”

Sonic wants to protest, but a gentle hand on his shoulder stops him. “How do we know you're not making things up?” Rouge pries. “I mean, you _claim_ to have Amy, but there's no supporting evidence.”

Robotnik lets out a hearty laugh at that. “Glad to see at least one of you has some sense,” he says. “Yes, it's only fair you see the cow before you buy the milk. Shadow, could you please fetch our guest?”

“It would be my pleasure,” Sonic hears Shadow reply. He turns just in time to see the other boy disappearing in a flash of light. There's a good minute of tense silence before Shadow reappears with Amy by his side. Sonic doesn't miss the fact that all of Shadow's bruises are gone, as if they'd never happened.

“Ames,” Sonic breathes out, glad to see her unharmed. He takes a relieved step towards her, only to freeze at Robotnik's whip-like command.

“Halt,” his voice snaps. “Take one more step, Sonic, and the girl dies.” Sonic bites the inside of his cheek, tries not to let his panic show.

“You're bluffing,” he accuses, not really believing it.

“I don't bluff,” the scientist says in a flat voice. “Shadow, prepare a Chaos Spear.”

Sonic's gaze whips over to Shadow. Surely he wouldn't—

The sight of golden energy coalescing in Shadow's hand causes Sonic to take an involuntary step forward, and it's only Rouge's hand tightening on his shoulder that prevents him from taking another. He swallows, shooting her a nervous look. Her eyes are wide and she's scarcely breathing. Sonic turns back to Shadow. Maybe there's still some humanity in him? “Shadow,” he implores. “Would you really—”

Shadow sneers, and Sonic is surprised by the sheer depths of the hatred he sees in those crimson eyes. “Do not test me, Sonic.”

“Are we clear?” Robotnik asks, and all Sonic can do is nod. “Good. Now then, as you can see, your friend is alive and unharmed. If you'd like to leave here with her then you will have to hand over the Emeralds you have.”

Sonic swallows. “Ah, about that? Y'see, I don't actually have them with me, so—”

“Of course not, only a moron would bring what I'm looking for into my own lair. But, you know where they are, don't you? So I'll give you an hour to retrieve them and bring them to me.”

Sonic swallows. “What makes you think I'll bring them?”

“I'll kill your friend if you don't.”

Sonic hesitates. But, if he has an hour, if he'll be allowed to waltz right back in, then Tails and Knuckles can join him and Rouge. Between the four of them, they can probably deal with the scientist and Shadow, especially if Amy joins in. “Alright,” he says at last. “Deal.”

Robotnik gives Sonic a sinister grin. “Glad to hear it. Oh, and one more thing; if you try to bring any of your little friends in with you, they'll be shot on sight.” Sonic swallows. So much for his plan. “Well, the clock is ticking. I'd hurry up if I were you.”

Sonic grits his teeth, grabs Rouge by the wrist, and takes off at a sprint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Let's play something else. Let's play good guys against bad guys. Are you ready? You're the bad guy. And when you're bad, you just run. That's fine, right?"
> 
> Sorry, had to share the Majora's Mask quote that Sonic and Shadow's interaction in the museum reminded me of.
> 
> Anyways, I'm moving this week so I decided to post a day early, in case tomorrow gets too crazy. I will try to maintain my current schedule of every other week, but between my move and my editor's shitshow (things have blown up for her) I may be late next chapter. We're in the home stretch, though. Only four more chapters and an epilogue left to go!


	18. Chapter 17 - I'm not gonna be persuaded, nor will I count on others

Sunday, December 5th, 9:13pm, Shadow's suite

When Shadow pops into his room to grab Amy, she doesn't look surprised. “He's here,” Shadow tells her, and she nods, “the doctor asked me to grab you.” He takes a moment to heal the bruises Sonic gave him just minutes ago, partially for dramatic effect and partially to dawdle. He really doesn't have the time, but he's not ready to let Amy go. “I won't let anything happen to you,” he says, and the look Amy gives him is filled with a level of trust that he really doesn't deserve after getting her into this situation.

“I know. I love you.”

He swallows. “Are you ready?” He’s unable to tell her he loves her too. Not here, not yet. Amy nods and Shadow grabs her arm in an iron grip. “Act scared,” he reminds her before dragging her through reality into Robotnik's central command room. Amy staggers, and Shadow suspects that his grip on her arm is the only reason she's able to remain upright. It reminds him of his first time being bent through time and space. If she feels as sick as he did, she hides it well.

Keeping up the illusion of _enemy_ proves to be even easier than Shadow was expecting. Even when Robotnik asks Shadow to prepare a Chaos Spear, it's easy. As long as Sonic sees the worst in him, Shadow won't have to actually _do_ anything. And if he does... Shadow ignores the lump that forms in his throat at the idea of giving up on Maria's revenge. But if it's between someone who's already dead and someone who can still be saved....

Sonic and Rouge leave, and it's just Shadow, Amy, and Robotnik. The scientist turns to one of his computers and Shadow and Amy are left to their own thoughts. Thirty minutes pass before Shadow breaks the silence.

“What are we doing with the girl if Sonic doesn't come back?” he asks, earning a funny look from Robotnik.

“We're killing her,” he answers, which honestly isn't a surprise.

Shadow makes a sound that he hopes comes across as contemptuous. “And wasting such a valuable bargaining chip?”

Robotnik snorts. “Not that valuable if they're willing to let her die, which makes her a waste of resources to keep.”

Amy flinches at that. “ _Excuse_ me?”

Robotnik shoots Amy a contemptuous look. “You're a weak, pampered, spoiled brat. What possible use could I have for you?” he asks, causing her to splutter. “Plus,” the scientist continues, turning back to Shadow and ignoring her half formed protests. “I'm a man of my word. I said we'd kill her, so we will.” The easy way he says it ends Amy's attempts to argue, and real fear replaces artificial fear in her eyes.

Shadow grits his teeth and nods. “Of course, doctor.”

Another thirty minutes pass.

“Shadow,” Robotnik begins, and Shadow has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from openly snarling. “Whereabouts does Sonic live?”

“Mission Street Southwest,” Shadow answers, earning a flat 'this means nothing to me' look. “It's by Twinkle Park.”

That resonates better with the scientist. “Well, perhaps we can give him five more minutes then,” he decides, which proves to be just enough time. Sonic barges into the room, gasping and out of breath. With him comes the familiar resonance Shadow knows all too well, and Shadow isn't sure whether his relief is for finding himself so much closer to his goals, or for knowing that Sonic isn't trying to pull a fast one at the risk of Amy's life.

“Alright, Egghead,” he wheezes. “I brought the Emeralds.”

Robotnik raises an eyebrow at 'Egghead' but decides it's not worth acknowledging. “You're late,” he points out instead. “Why should I honour our agreement when you can't be bothered to show up in a timely fashion?”

Sonic scowls. “Sorry, it must have been all the traffic,” he snarks, and Robotnik lets out a guffaw at that. Shadow might have too if Amy's life weren't on the line.

“Must have,” the scientist agrees in a wry tone. “But enough pleasantries; the Emeralds, Sonic.”

Sonic huffs. “I got them in here,” he says, drawing attention to the backpack he's wearing by grabbing its strap and jostling it. “Let Amy go and they're yours.”

Robotnik raises an eyebrow. “How do I know they're actually in there? Show me first.”

“What's to stop you from having Shadow kill us once you're sure I have them?”

“Nothing,” Robotnik answers, bored. “But, there's also nothing stopping me from shooting you now and seeing for myself.”

Sonic grits his teeth before swinging the bag off one of his arms and unzipping it, tipping it forwards to reveal a familiar glow from within.

“And how do I know they're all in there?” Robotnik asks.

Shadow decides to give Sonic a break. “I can feel three of them.”

Robotnik nods and Sonic smirks. “Jeez, Shadow, I'd almost think you were on our side,” he teases. Shadow shoots him a bored look.

“Hardly, but I have better things to be doing with my time than holding your girlfriend hostage.”

Sonic shrugs. “Then why not let her go? You have what you want.”

“Very well, drop your bag in the middle of the room,” Robotnik commands. Sonic starts to saunter over, one hand in his pocket the other on his backpack strap, but is halted by Amy choosing _now_ of all times to be heroic.

“Don't do it, Sonic!” she pleads, earning an incredulous look from Shadow.

“Are you _kidding_ me,” he spits out, unable to stop himself. “What are you _doing_? Robotnik will _kill you_ ,” he hisses, unconsciously tightening his grip on her arm. She winces and turns to him.

“We can't let Robotnik win.” Shadow barely stops himself from shaking her and telling her to just let Sonic save her. Instead he marches her into the middle of the room. “Hey!” she protests. “What are you doing? Shadow!”

Sonic, uncertain, walks up the middle as well and Shadow shoves Amy against him. “Get her out of here,” he growls. Sonic catches Amy with one arm and tosses his bag to Shadow with the other. Shadow catches the bag with ease, but something’s off.

“Well, it's been fun,” Sonic says as Shadow looks into the bag, and a few things happen at once.

“Sonic, you can't—” Amy starts, trying to yank herself away as Sonic slips his free hand into his pocket.

Peeking into the bag reveals what isn’t right. Only one Emerald moved with the bag. He looks up, momentarily at a loss, and watches as Sonic and Amy disappear in a flash of light. Which isn't just a betrayal, it's _reckless_. And, sure, risk yourself like that if you want, Sonic, why not. But to risk _Amy_ like that?

“I'll kill him,” Shadow snarls as he drops the bag and grabs his own Emerald out of a pocket. He shouts a quick “Chaos Control!” and bends time and space to his will, folding reality so that he exists at Sonic's house instead of Robotnik's lair. He looks around, but he already knows no one's here. The only traces of Chaos are lingering ones, and his Emerald isn't resonating at all. What's more, the place is empty; even Aziza is nowhere to be seen. Which is probably for the best. Still, just in case, Shadow searches the place top to bottom. Not even a minute in he's approached by a fluffy cat with mottled brown fur meowing plaintively, but at no point does he find another person. Gently, he picks up Mr. Flufflebottom—the worst possible name for a cat—and scratches him behind the ears. He looks around the house with a sense of disdain before grabbing the cat food out of the pantry where he'd seen Manic grabbing it before... before.

Shadow searches the house once more and then draws on the energy of his Emerald. He focuses on gathering it, on gathering all the traces of residual Chaos in the room, focuses on building it up around him. If they're not here that's good, it means they're not complete idiots. But, if they can't come back, that's even better. He gathers the energy, “Chaos...,” a moment more, “Blast!” And with that word acting as a focus on how he wants to manipulate the energy, he releases it in an explosion of red light. A wall of energy leaves him, burns its way through the house, slams all the furniture against the walls and shatters all the windows that are facing him. The blast is much stronger than the unintentional one he'd let out in Robotnik's lair, and the walls actually buckle this time. The cat in his arms lets out a frightened yowl and starts squirming to get free, but he doesn't release it. There's an ominous creaking sound and he looks up to see the ceiling sagging, dropping more by the second, but that's okay. He's done here. Again he gathers Chaos Energy, focusing on returning to the lair, when a thought occurs to him. They couldn't be that stupid, though. They couldn't.

Could they?

“Chaos Control,” he says, focusing on Tails' workshop.

He appears in the midst of Sonic's friends, who are frantically packing. They start, and he gives them a contemptuous look even as weapons are grabbed and readied, though no one seems willing to strike him while he's holding a yowling cat. “You guys are idiots,” Shadow informs them, dropping the cat food but keeping his grip on Mr. Flufflebottom. “I found you immediately.”

“It's not like we had much time,” Rouge drawls, leaning casually against the nearest piece of furniture to examine her nails. “Me and your mum just got here ten minutes ago.”

Shadow flinches at that. He looks around and spots her off to the side eyeing him as if he were a stranger. That hurts, and he wishes she were elsewhere. The idea of Aziza seeing him like this... not that it matters. He's going to do a lot worse than scare his classmates before this is all over, so he presses on. “No excuse. If you were smart you would have fled the second I sided with Robotnik.”

Rouge gives Shadow a funny look. “We only found that out three days ago,” she argues, and everyone else nods. There's a pang of warmth in his otherwise hollow gut at that, because that means she hasn't betrayed him, means she might still be on his side.

Of course, rather than letting that relief show, Shadow just says “So you've had three days to flee.” There's some awkward shuffling and he sighs, raising his free hand to massage his temples. “Look, I appreciate you keeping Aziza safe so I'll tell Robotnik I couldn't find you, but you need to leave.” He hesitates a moment, then shoves the struggling Mr. Flufflebottom into Rouge's arms, which she’s wholly unprepared for.

“Wh—Shadow! Why are—ow!” With a scratch, Mr. Flufflebottom earns his freedom and flees under the nearest couch.

“He belonged to Manic, his name is Mr. Flufflebottom.”

Everyone stares at him for a moment before Tails voices what they're probably all thinking. “But, why give him to us?”

Shadow raises an eyebrow at that. “What's the alternative? Take him to Robotnik's lair?”

“Why not?” A skinny black guy with short grey-white hair—Silver, Shadow recalls him being called—asks. “Villain cats get pampered. He'd probably be safer with you.”

Shadow considers it, but thinking of the cat he can't help but be reminded of Manic. “I don't want Sonic's stupid cat,” he decides.

“I thought you said he belonged to Manic,” Knuckles points out, and Shadow swallows the lump that forms in his throat whenever he thinks of Sonic’s brother.

“Manic's dead,” he reminds the other teen in a harsher tone than intended. “Anything that was his belongs to Sonic now.” The others nod and Shadow looks around, failing to find any sign of Sonic or Amy. “Speaking of Sonic, where are him and Amy—” he pauses to clear his throat. “Amelia. Where are they?”

Rouge snorts. “As if we'd tell you. All you need to know is that they're safe where you'll never find them.”

Shadow shrugs. “It's only a matter of time, you can't stop me.”

There's a long moment of silence and Shadow thinks it might be a good time to leave, but then Aziza speaks up. “You can stay,” she suggests. “What that man offers, it's not worth for this.”

Shadow forces his expression to harden, pulls his shoulders back and looks down his nose at the others. He can't be so soft, not for anyone. He reminds himself that she was never really his mother, pretends that somehow erases all her years of love and support.

“He offers me truth, which is more than you ever did.” He's surprised to find real bitterness in his heart as he says it. “With his help, I will have my revenge.” He uses the Chaos Control to return to the lair before anyone else gets any ideas about convincing him to leave his current path.

Sunday, December 5th, 11:31pm, Rouge's Livingroom

Amy finds herself being shaken awake, and for a heartbeat she doesn't know where she is. Then her memories come back and she _really_ doesn't know where she is, because the last thing she remembers is being painfully squeezed through time and space with Sonic. She has no idea how Shadow does it so frequently, because after the short hop from his room, and then the presumably much longer hop from the lair to wherever she is now, she feels like hell. Her head is pounding, her stomach is in her throat, and she never wants to open her eyes again.

She groans, and the shaking becomes more insistent. With much internal grumbling she lets her eyes flutter open, and after an intense wave of vertigo hits her, Amy sees brown eyes looking down at her from beneath blue eyebrows. For a moment she thinks its Manic, who could never be bothered to dye his brows to match his hair.

“You've stopped wearing your contacts,” she says, and Sonic lets out a surprised laugh as he stops leaning over her so that she has room to sit up.

“Ah, yeah. It seems kinda pointless now,” he answers softly, giving a subdued shrug. Amy nods absently before glancing around the room and taking in her surroundings. She's laying on a plush carpet that’s vaguely familiar, surrounded by very expensive looking couches and cushions, and—

Amy starts, because she's been in this room once before, sat on this very carpet and received a series of toe-curling kisses from everyone other than her current companion. “Is this Rouge's house?” she asks, and Sonic nods. “What are we doing here?” she wonders aloud, and then a more important thought occurs to her. “Wait, you did that thing with the Emeralds that Shadow does!” she accuses, whirling back to face Sonic. A mistake that nearly causes her to pass out again, but she presses on. “ _How_ did you manage that?”

Sonic flinches at Shadow's name. “I can do anything _he_ can do,” he replies hotly. “If he can go to wherever he's thinking of when he touches an Emerald, then so can I.”

Amy lets out an appreciative hum. “That's amazing, when did you figure that out?”

Sonic scratches the side of his nose and refuses to meet Amy's eyes. “Ah, just now?” He chuckles nervously. .

Amy can only stare, and then the heat floods her body. “Just now?” she demands. “Meaning you didn't know how when you made the plan?”

“Uh, no?” Sonic answers, nervous tone making it sound like a question. Amy shrieks at that, lunging forward, nausea be damned, and tackling her former crush.

“You _idiot_!” she cries, grabbing his shoulders and giving them a firm shake. “Do you have any—” shake, “idea—” shake, “how _stupid_ —” shake shake, “that was!?”

Sonic splutters at the manhandling, before yanking himself out of Amy's grip. “Whoa, hey! It worked, didn't it?”

Amy lunges at him again. He holds her off and keeps her at arms length. “And if it hadn't,” she growls, straining to reach him, “we could have _died_!”

“You had literally just told me not to give him the Emeralds,” Sonic shouts back. “If I'd done that, you would have died anyways!”

Amy snarls, because how dare he bring logic into this! It isn't the same! “But that was _my_ choice!” she yells. “Plus! If you hadn't been able to teleport us, we'd both be dead _and_ Robotnik would have the Emeralds!”

“So, what, you'd rather I just hand over the Emeralds, leaving him with five out of the seven?” Sonic demands.

“No! I'd rather you have left me there!”

“Forget it, Amy! I wasn't going to leave you for dead.”

Amy rolls her eyes at that. “Oh please, Shadow wouldn't have let that happen.” That was the wrong thing to say, Amy realizes as Sonic's entire body tenses.

“Are you _crazy_? Shadow would have killed you himself and been glad to be rid of you!” Sonic screams, leaping to his feet and pointing an angry finger in her direction. “You need to stop putting your faith into that monster!”

“Shadow is not a monster!” Amy protests, getting to her feet and jabbing her own finger into Sonic's chest. “He wouldn't have let anything happen to me!”

“Oh great,” Sonic scoffs, swatting her hand away. “Now we can add Stockholm Syndrome to Shadow's list of crimes and your list of delusions.”

“What the _hell_ is that supposed to mean, Sonic?”

“You’re the one defending him. You’re the one dating him! He isn’t even a person, Amy! He’s a weapon, and you’re in denial. He’s a cold, soulless, killing machine, and you still like him, maybe even _love_ him, enough to defend him after everything? I meant exactly what I said.”

Amy's entire body flushes, and without thinking she raises a hand to slap Sonic. He catches her wrist before the blow connects, though, and for a moment they're both too shocked to speak. Then the spell breaks and Sonic snarls.

“Picking up his bad habits, I see,” he practically spits, dropping her hand to cross his arms.

“Shadow is not the villain here,” Amy reiterates, mimicking Sonic's stance.

“Are you kidding me? 'Buttnik told him to prepare a Chaos Spear to kill you with and he actually did it!”

“Of course he did! He wants that jerk to think they're on the same side, but if he'd actually been asked to go through with it—”

“He would have.”

“He would not!”

“Would.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

Sonic's yes is punctuated by the heavy sound of feet coming up the staircase that divides the living room into two sections, and just like that, Sonic is stepping between Amy and the danger, as if their fight never happened. The two teens apprehensively watch as a pair of heavily armed G.U.N. soldiers come up the stairs; a man who looks to be in his late forties leading the way, and a woman who can't be much older than twenty following close behind.

“Who goes there!?” the man demands. He turns his weapon on them as soon as he catches sight of them.

“Whoa, easy now!” Sonic protests, quickly raising his hands. Amy mimics his actions, and hopes Sonic didn't take her out of Robotnik's lair just to get her killed somewhere else.

“Who goes there?” the man repeats in the same harsh tone, the woman coming up beside him.

“Ah, I'm Sonic, and this is Amy. Rouge invited us to stay here?” The names clearly mean nothing to the soldiers. “Rouge Dubois?” Sonic tries again and that must mean a little more to them, because they lower their weapons.

“Is Miss Dubois here?” the woman asks, and Sonic shakes his head.

“She should be on her way with some others,” he says.

The soldiers nod. “We'll direct them to you when they arrive, then,” the man says, turning to head back down the stairs. As he descends he pulls out a walkie talkie and orders someone to set up guards at both entrances to Rouge's living room.

The woman behind him hesitates. “How did you get past our security?”

Sonic and Amy exchange a nervous glance, as if asking each other permission to answer. Or maybe daring each other.

“We used a Chaos Emerald to warp in,” Amy finally answers, tearing her gaze away from Sonic's lest she see disappointment make its home in his eyes.

Both G.U.N. agents freeze at that, turning expectantly to the teens. Amy swallows, but Rouge wouldn't have sent her and Sonic here if there were any danger, would she?

Before the soldiers can formulate their questions, Sonic speaks up again. “If you don't mind, could you guys question us later? We'll still be here in the morning.”

The soldiers exchange a glance. The woman looks like she wants to protest, but the older guy rests a hand on her shoulder and shakes his head. “The boss will want to speak to you, but I don't see the harm in letting kids sleep,” he says, turning and heading down the stairs. The woman frowns after him for a moment before shaking her head and following.

After they've left, Amy collapses onto a nearby couch. “How long was I out?” she wonders.

“Not much longer than me,” Sonic answers, taking a seat next to her.

She nods again. “And, how long were you out?”

A shrug. “No clue.”

They sit in nervous silence for a while, until eventually they hear the sound of voices coming from downstairs. A moment later a familiar voice calls out, “Amy? Sonic?”

“Rouge?” Sonic calls back, and there's a loud scuffling as multiple pairs of feet rush up the stairs. Rouge emerges with a small crowd of familiar faces. There are some expected faces; Knuckles, Silver, Blaze, and Tails, along with some unexpected additions; Aziza, Cream, Vanilla, and a peacefully sleeping cat.

“What's everybody doing here?” Amy wonders, and Sonic relaxes beside her.

“You didn't expect us to let Sonic have all the fun, did you?” Knuckles answers with a cocky grin.

“We're gonna need all the help we can get if we want to find the last two Emeralds,” Tails chimes in.

Rouge and co. arrange themselves around the room after that, everyone making their way to the available couches. “Glad to see you're safe, Ames,” Silver says, dropping in next to Amy and giving her a hug.

“I was never in danger,” Amy replies, hugging him back.

“Has anyone else been here?” Rouge asks.

“Just a pair of G.U.N. agents,” Sonic answers.

Rouge nods, expecting as much. “Daddy's been letting G.U.N. use this as a place to stay, so between them, him, and the staff, there's usually someone around. It's late, though, so I had hoped you guys would be undisturbed until we got here.”

Amy scowls. “You thought it would be a good idea to bring the Chaos Emeralds to G.U.N.?” she asks incredulously.

Rouge gives Amy a funny look. “Well, they already have one of the things.” Sonic and Amy blink at her in near unison, and she shrugs again. “Turns out daddy has one in his vault, which is part of why G.U.N. has been hanging around.”

“So six are accounted for,” Tails muses.

Sonic grins. “If we get the last one and the one from G.U.N., that'll be our four to Egghead's three. If we outnumber him, I bet we'll be able to kick his butt.”

Amy frowns, but it's Rouge who speaks up first. “Shadow is a living weapon designed to use the Chaos Emeralds. We'll need to outnumber them by more than one if we want to overpower him.”

“That's not how it works,” Aziza chastises, shaking her head. “Even if we have six and they have only one, all it needs for them to use ours is a stronger mind.”

Sonic scoffs. “Shadow's will can't be that strong if he switched sides so easily.”

“My son has a mind such as needed,” Aziza argues. “Once it is set, it is not stopped. Robotnik offers something he wants, that is all.”

Sonic rolls his eyes. “Yeah, power and permission to hurt people.”

“That's not fair, Sonic! Shadow isn't cruel or shallow!” Amy protests, earning grateful looks from Aziza and, surprisingly, Rouge.

“Don't let your feelings cloud your judgment,” Sonic barks, but before he can continue, and before Amy can argue with that, Knuckles cuts in.

“If we had the Master Emerald, we could control any Chaos Emerald's gathered near it,” he says, earning confused looks from everyone. Knuckles shifts, clearly uncomfortable with the attention. “My grandpa used to tell me stories about how we have a direct line to the ancient Mobians who guarded the Master Emerald. I never really believed him, but if the other Emeralds are real, then....”

“Did he ever tell you where it is?” Vanilla asks, and Knuckles shakes his head.

“So all we have to do is find the Master Emerald and gather the Chaos Emeralds around it?” Tails clarifies, and Knuckles nods.

“As long as we control the Master Emerald, the others should follow. Grandpa always said the Master Emerald would talk to you if you knew what to say to it....” His brow furrows, as if he's trying to remember something.

Sonic frowns, turning to Aziza. “You're our resident Emerald expert, is there any truth to this?”

Aziza considers for a moment, before nodding slowly. “I think yes. It was hard to get information with G.U.N. watching, but.... Yes. I read it was moved from Angel Island by the descendants of a 'Brotherhood'.”

Sonic turns to Knuckles and asks the obvious question. “Did your grandpa ever tell you what you'd have to say?”

Knuckles growls. “Of course he did! But I was six, and I didn't think it was real.”

Blaze puts a reassuring hand on Knuckles' shoulder. “So you try to figure it out, and the rest of us can try to find it.” He gives her a grateful smile before moving a bit away from the group and adopting a very thoughtful expression. Occasionally, he mutters something under his breath, only to shake his head.

“Could we use the Chaos Emeralds to find it?” Tails asks.

“Probably,” Aziza answers. “It should have a similar wavelength and properties, and if we are finding a way to detect the last Chaos Emerald, it will then be easy to detect the Master Emerald after.”

Tails nods. “I'll get to work on that, then. Sonic, could I borrow one of the Emeralds?”

“Sure thing buddy,” Sonic replies, grabbing an Emerald out of his jacket pocket and tossing it to Tails, who nearly fumbles it in his attempt to catch it.

“Rouge, is there a room I can set up as my workshop?” he asks.

“Of course,” Rouge replies, getting to her feet. “Daddy's been keeping people out of my rooms, so you can use my reading room.” Then she turns to the rest of the group. “We should probably stay together. There are ten of us?” she glances around the room, double checking. “Tails can sleep on the couch in the reading room,” she decides. “While I help him get set up, you guys can decide where everyone else is staying. There's a queen-size bed in my room,” she gestures to one of the doors off the current room, “a loveseat in my closet, and then the couches in here.” And then she's heading into a different door with Tails scrambling to grab his bags and follow her.

Everyone considers each other for a moment before Sonic speaks up. “We could send the guys to Rouge's room and let the gals sleep out here?” he suggests.

Amy frowns at that. “That sleeps three of us, but what about everyone else? There are only three couches in here,” she points out. “Plus, I think we should let Rouge sleep in her own bed.”

Blaze nods. “It seems like the right thing to do,” she agrees.

“Or we could let the adults take her room,” Silver suggests, earning appreciative looks from Vanilla and Aziza.

Amy shakes her head. “That's only two people in a place with room for three.”

“I can sleep with my mama,” Cream offers.

Everyone glances at Amy as if looking for her approval. “Don't look at me, I still think Rouge should have her own bed.”

By the time Rouge returns, there has been no progress, and the look she gives everyone when they tell her as much reeks of disappointment. “Okay, fine, I guess I have to figure everything out myself.” She glances around the room. “Aziza, I know you like privacy so you can have the couch in the walk-in. Amy, Cream, Vanilla, you can share the bed. Blaze, and I can take a couch each, and the guys can figure out who gets the remaining one and who gets the floor.”

“You don't want your own bed?” Amy asks, at the same time as Silver says “We could probably share the couches,” with a meaningful glance at Blaze. Amy raises an eyebrow at that. Having briefly dated Silver the year before, she is well aware of the way he'll take any excuse to snuggle, but that's usually reserved for people he's dating, and to her knowledge he and Blaze are just friends.

Rouge glances between Amy and Silver, then shrugs. “The couches in here are comfy enough, and I'm not going to sleep any time soon. If I were sharing my bed, I'd just wind up waking someone in the middle of the night.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Amy concedes, and Rouge nods.

“Well, now that that's settled, come on guys. It's late, and there will be plenty of time for talking tomorrow.”

After showing the girls to her room and grabbing a set of pyjamas, Rouge puts a hand on Amy's shoulder, then points at the door to her en-suite. Once they're alone together Rouge lets out a sigh. “Can we talk?” she asks quietly. Amy nods and follows Rouge to the far side of the room, where they perch on the edge of her spacious bathtub. “How is he?” she asks, and Amy blinks, because there's no way Rouge is asking after Shadow, not after the little show he put on at the lair.

“Seriously?” she asks after a moment, and Rouge gives her a flat look. “I'm held captive in Robotnik's lair, used as a bartering chip, _threatened_ , and you want to know how _Shadow_ is!?” she hisses, making an effort to keep her voice hushed. Sure, she had been perfectly comfortable, perfectly safe, but there's no way Rouge knows that!

Rouge rolls her eyes. “Don't be dramatic. We both know that Shadow wouldn't have let any harm come to you.” Oh. Well, so much for that. Amy deflates. She thinks about the question for a moment, and is grateful when Rouge doesn't push her.

“I don't think he's okay,” she finally admits, voicing a thought she'd been pushing down since she found herself in his rooms. “I don't think he's happy with the path he's chosen, but he's refusing to come back to our side.”

Rouge nods, saying softly, “he's stubborn like that.”

They're silent for a few minutes before Amy speaks up again. “He asked me if I think Hell is real,” she whispers. Rouge leans forward, rests her chin in her hands. She doesn't say anything, though. Just sits pensively. Amy can feel the events of her day catching up with her, not to mention the lingering dizziness from her Chaos-fuelled trip. After another minute of silence, Amy speaks up. “I'm gonna head to bed.”

Rouge waves her off absently. As she leaves, she swears she can hear Shadow's pager beeping, a testament to how tired she is. In the bedroom, she flops on Rouge's bed and promptly passes out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, the past week has been insane. Next chapter will be in two weeks, as usual.
> 
> Also, if you haven't seen it yet, you should check out [and we can dream on](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26668021) by the amazingly talented [Chi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chininiris/pseuds/chininiris). I commissioned a cute shadamy fic as a birthday gift for myself, which is how we discovered our mutual birthday, and she asked if she could write it of the versions of Shadow and Amy portrayed in my fic, which was such an honour. So, if you'd like to see a fluffy piece with characters written perfectly, go check it out!


	19. Chapter 18 - When there's nothing left to lose, you win

Monday, December 6th, 9:52am, Rouge's Livingroom

“Do we really _need_ to find the last Chaos Emerald?” Amy asks, earning strange looks from her companions. She's tempted to curl up and ask them to forget she said anything, but.... “It's just, if we're going to be using the Master Emerald to control them anyway, then why not let Robotnik and Shadow spend their energy finding it?”

“That's not a bad idea,” Sonic says after a moment of stunned silence. “We can dedicate our energy to finding the Master Emerald, and then...” he trails off, unsure where to go from there.

“Convince Shadow or Robotnik to come for us with their Emeralds,” Silver offers, as if it's as simple as that.

“And how are we going to manage that?” Blaze asks.

“We could 'accidentally' let slip that we're hiding out there,” Amy suggests, using finger quotes for extra emphasis.

“And how are we going to manage _that_?” Sonic repeats, and Amy deflates.

“I, ah. I have no idea,” she admits.

“Even if they come, why would they bring their Emeralds?” Blaze asks.

Amy considers for a moment, but when the answer comes, it seems obvious. “To bring all seven together? They probably believe they can overpower us easily, and then they could do... whatever it is they want to do.”

“If we have four Emeralds, they'll have to bring three to overpower us,” Rouge points out. “Especially if they think Sonic knows how to use the Emeralds.”

Sonic blinks at that. “What do you mean 'if they think'? I _do_ know how to use them.”

Rouge gives him an almost patronizing look. “You teleported once and were knocked out for the better part of an hour. Shadow was literally designed to use the Emeralds and has probably been training those abilities while we've been twiddling our thumbs.”

“We haven't been twiddling our thumbs!” Sonic protests, surging to his feet. “Tails and I have been looking for the others!”

“And we've been volunteering with Cream and her mum,” Silver joins in, gesturing between himself and Blaze.

Rouge raises an eyebrow at the outburst. “So touchy,” she drawls. “Well, regardless, that's still time that Shadow's had to train and we haven't.”

No one has any arguments for that.

“Do we really want to bring all seven Emeralds together?” Cream asks after a few moments of tense silence. “I thought we were just trying to keep them from getting all seven?”

“My son does not stop when he has a mind goal,” Aziza replies, earning a twitch from Sonic. “Just keeping away from him will fail eventually.”

“He's not your son,” the track star mutters, but Aziza either doesn't hear or refuses to acknowledge it. Louder he says, “We need to gather the Emeralds so that we can stop 'Buttnik.”

The G.U.N. agents that have been sitting in on the meeting exchange a look, and one of them finally speaks up. “The Commander will be here tonight, I still think we should wait for him before making any plans.”

Aziza scowls. “I will not trust him. Not for these. He has hated my son since first I met him, he is too close to this. He will use these children as pawns for his anger.”

The soldiers exchange a glance before the woman from last night speaks up. “You've met the Commander?” she asks.

Aziza nods. “Some times. He was very against my son being let alive, and has tried for his destruction at every chance.”

The woman gives Aziza a sympathetic look. “If Project Shadow has been compromised, that may be our only chance. I know you love him, but—”

“He is my son,” Aziza cuts in, voice firm.

There's silence for a moment, awkward and tense. Finally, Amy decides to break it. “Why does the Commander hate Shadow?”

“He blames my son for Maria,” Aziza replies, and Amy starts.

“You mean the girl from Shadow's nightmares?”

“Yes, she—”

“Not that this isn't all very interesting,” Sonic cuts in, “but it doesn’t matter. What matters is finding the last Emerald and stopping 'Buttnik.”

Amy wants to be angry at Sonic for the interruption, but he's right. “We do need to figure out a plan,” she agrees. Sonic gives her a grateful smile, one that would've sent Amy's heart racing a month ago. Now it leaves her feeling hollow, because how can they stop Robotnik without hurting Shadow? How can they make him see reason?

“So, what should we do?” Silver asks.

Aziza frowns. “I think Sonic will fight Robotnik. Alone.”

That seems to catch everyone's attention, earning a chorus of 'what's and 'why's.

“Few people can use the Emeralds, and we lack time to be finding another. It is a, um... miracle that Sonic and Amy survived the try. I would advise different actions, if I knew that plan.”

Amy wants to be mad at Sonic all over again for his recklessness, but one look at him quells her rage. His eyes are as wide as saucers, and as she watches him he visibly swallows. He meets her gaze, and she has no idea what his face is trying to say. Time was she could read him like a book, but that was before... before. Also, if she's being completely honest with herself, she was probably projecting a lot of it.

Finally, Sonic gives a decisive nod. “So, what, we're going to take control of them with the Master Emerald, and then I harness the energy of the Emeralds and... uh... throw it at 'Buttnik?”

Rouge nods. “A single concentrated blast at Robotnik and his robots would be best. With all seven Emeralds, we can rely on raw power over any actual ability on your part, which will hopefully make up for your lack of training.”

“What about Shadow?” Sonic asks.

“He's not actually on Robotnik's side,” Amy says before anyone else can reply. Eleven sets of eyes turn their attention to her and she shrinks back. However, she has to make them understand. “Robotnik has information he wants, that’s all. If we beat him, Shadow has no reason to fight us!” There's silence for a moment before Sonic mutters something that sounds suspiciously like 'Stockholm Syndrome'.

“What was that?” Amy demands, heat suffusing her cheeks.

Sonic meets her eyes and squares his shoulders. “Amy, you know I love you, but do you honestly expect me to believe you're not just seeing what you want to see? I mean, given your track record....”

The heat inside Amy rises, filling more than just her face until all of her skin is flushed. “I'm sorry?” she asks, and she’s pleased to find it's getting easier to put the same ice in her voice that Shadow uses to keep the world at bay.

Sonic scoffs. “Don't play dumb. We all know you were dating Shadow before he turned traitor, and then you stayed in the lair with him for days, giving him plenty of time to whisper lies into your ears. Face it, Amy. You're letting your feelings cloud your judgment; you're biased, and you can't be trusted on this.”

With every word, Amy bristles more and more. “You're the one who's biased,” she spits, ice forgotten and replaced with molten rage. “You're the one letting your feelings cloud your judgment! Just because Robotnik killed your brother, doesn't mean you get to blame Shadow!” Even as the words come out, Amy wishes she can take them back. She watches the colour drain from Sonic's face, watches as he makes a series of choked half words. Manic wasn't just Sonic's brother, he was his _twin_! The two of them shared a bond that Amy can't even begin to understand. Sonic probably _felt_ when Manic died. How could she bring it up so dismissively? 'Oh, sorry your brother died, get over it.' “I'm sorry!” she squeaks. The angry tears forming in Sonic's eyes make guilty tears form in her own. “That was a low blow! I shouldn't have—I'm sorry!”

Sonic takes a deep breath, then another. He clenches his fists in his lap, but Amy can see his hands shaking. “Get out,” he says in a voice devoid of emotion. Amy flinches, because Sonic is _never_ devoid of emotions.

“Sonic, I—”

“Out,” he repeats, anger seeping into his voice.

Amy opens her mouth to protest, but a glance around the room shuts her up. No one will look at her, and she can't really blame them. When given the option to lounge around, comfortable and safe with her boyfriend, Amy had taken it. And then after being 'rescued' from a prison she'd _chosen,_ she goes and throws Manic's death in their face as if he was nothing! And he wasn't nothing; how could she ever speak so callously of him? He was Manic, _Manic_! He was the one that kept everything lighthearted, kept everyone optimistic and happy. He was their glue, and now he's gone. Amy rushes from the room with tears in her eyes, hating the person she's becoming. She's not fit to save anyone, she's not fit to be a fighter like the others, and she's not even fit to be a friend. No matter what Shadow says to the contrary, she's just a burden.

In Rouge's room Amy collapses on the bed, and for the first time since the night Manic died, Amy lets herself cry. She cries about her friends, and her parents, and her city. She cries for the self she lost and this new, angry person she's becoming. And when she's done crying, and the tears won't come anymore, she sleeps.

Monday, December 6th, 10:18am, Rouge's Livingroom

Aziza watches, conflicted, as Amy flees the room. She understands why the girl said what she did— Sonic _is_ biased. But... she looks at him, still shaking. Aziza appreciates Amy standing up for her son, but bringing up someone's dead relation during an argument is never okay. That she realized this is good, but the damage is still done.

“Are you okay, hon'?” Vanilla, the only other parent in the room, asks.

Sonic swallows and shakes his head, tears threatening to spill over. “I wanted to hit her,” he answers thickly. “Amy is my friend, we grew up together, I _protect_ her, and I wanted to hit her.”

No one has anything to say to that, and when it becomes clear that they're not even going to try, Aziza gets to her feet. She has some experience with moody teenage boys, after all. Everyone watches warily as she makes her way to Sonic, and that makes sense. He's been rude to her. He hates her son, wants to hurt him, and Aziza can't support that. They probably expect her to pick up where Amy left off, and the part of her that will always be protective of Shadow wants to. But, she can't watch a young man look so lost and alone and _not_ offer comfort. He'd hate her for saying it, but he reminds her of her Shadow in a lot of ways.

Sonic lifts his head to look at her, and his eyes are hollow. In one smooth motion, Aziza slips in beside him and pulls him to her, resting his head on her shoulder and rubbing small circles into his back as she used to with Shadow when he was small and would still let her. Sonic's muscles tense in shock, then relax as he leans into the embrace. She feels sobs wrack his body and a part of her wishes she had the words to comfort him. When she comforts Shadow, it's always in the language of her home; a language she suspects Sonic doesn't speak. But that's okay, words aren't always necessary. Instead she makes soft noises of comfort, nearly cradling him. He lets her, and she can only assume that's a testament to how hopeless he's feeling.

Dimly, she's aware of Rouge herding the others out of the room, but she's too focused on Sonic to pay it any mind. So angry and sad and confused. So like her son. She holds him tighter and clenches her eyes shut, praying that Amy's words are the truth, that Shadow won't fight them if Robotnik is gone.

Wednesday, December 8th, 6:34pm, Angel Island hot springs

Three days after Amy's rescue, Shadow is sent to retrieve the next Chaos Emerald. The last one, if Rouge's claim that G.U.N. also has one is to be believed. According to Robotnik's scans, the last Emerald should be somewhere inside the natural cave system under Angel Island, just off the Emerald Coast. Shadow gives Robotnik a slight bow, reaches for Chaos, and when he straightens he's on Angel Island, in one of the few areas accessible to the public.

Last year, Shadow had come here for his grade's end-of-the-year trip. They'd come to enjoy the hot springs under the old temple, and while Shadow hadn't admitted it at the time, it had been his favourite school trip. Even Manic's incessant need to invade his personal space hadn't ruined it.

What Shadow wouldn't give to have Manic invading his space now. Instead he wanders the caverns alone, feeling the way his Emerald starts to resonate the closer he gets to the main pool. After circling the pool twice, it becomes clear that the resonance is coming from inside. He weighs his options. He doesn't really _want_ to strip down, but he also doesn't relish the idea of reporting to Dr. Robotnik in sopping trousers. He deeply debates seeing if he can use Chaos to dry his clothing off, but ultimately decides that doing so might be a bit much. With a sigh, Shadow kicks off his shoes and strips to his underwear, then he wades into the pool, clutching his Emerald tight and feeling the resonance through it. He can practically hear Manic laughing in his ear as he makes his way to the metal grate at the centre of the pool. He pushes the memories back, then crouches down. Yes, the Emerald is definitely through there. Shadow sends a Chaos spear through the grate and the metal is torn away like a cobweb. The water of the hot spring is so crystal clear that Shadow can easily make out a crack in the ground where the grate was. It's big enough for a person to comfortably slip into.

He pushes a hand through his hair. He's never been claustrophobic before, not even crawling through the tunnels with everyone else, but this is different. Along with the dark, along with the enclosed space, there's the fact that he won't be able to breathe. If Shadow didn't have his Chaos Emerald, if he couldn't transport himself out at a moment’s notice... he swallows. Once. Twice. And then he takes a deep breath and dives in head first, plunging himself past the waist deep pool and into the tunnel before he can think better of it. He clutches his Emerald in one hand and, as soon as he loses the momentum from his dive, begins pulling himself ever downward with the other.

Down he goes, into the abyss. He's not sure if the heat makes it better or worse. He suspects it makes it worse for him, regardless of his own feelings on the matter. Down he goes, and the resonance gets stronger, thrumming in time with his Emerald and his heart and his veins. His Emerald glows, and by its light he can dimly see good hand holds. Down he goes, and the walls start closing in on him. Then the tunnel slopes, forks. His lungs are starting to burn. One path goes back up, the other continues down. Down is where he needs to go, but the one that goes up could have an air pocket, and that decides it for him.

The walls are tight in the crack that goes up, and turning at such a sharp degree with only one free hand isn't easy, but Shadow manages it. Then he starts climbing up, kicking off whatever he can. He doesn't want to teleport back if he doesn't have to, and so he pushes himself. Stays even though his body is beginning to panic. He kicks again, and again. His vision starts dimming at the edge. He gathers himself to leave, though the thoughts are coming slow. And then his hand breaks the surface. He follows a second after, gasping and choking and desperate to breathe. He thinks back to the blackened crater at the back of Manic's neck, wonders again if it'd cut off essential organ controls without actually killing him directly, wonders if _he'd_ felt the same way as his lungs failed to get enough air to keep him alive. And then he's crying, choking on his sobs and the water he's barely able to stay out of. He scrabbles for grip on the wall and finds a small ledge, about half a foot up, which he pulls himself half onto. He spits and hacks and coughs and clings to the ledge as thoughts of Manic wash over him _again_ , as if he hasn't cried enough, as if Manic's death hasn't been consuming him since the moment it happened.

Eventually breathing becomes easier, and the grief that had gripped Shadow so thoroughly fades back to a dull ache in the back of his heart. Something he can ignore, can pretend never happened. Being alone in the dark had been tense before, but he's glad for the solitude, glad Amy isn't here to fuss over his near-drowning and his tears. He's not sure he could handle that kind of attention right now.

While he recuperates, Shadow looks up. The crevice he's in stretches seemingly endlessly, so far that he can't see the top. He looks at the Emerald in his hand, its glow softly pulsing in tune with the other Emerald deep in the caverns. He can almost feel it, somewhere beneath him. Finally, Shadow decides he's waited long enough and takes a deep breath before plunging back underwater. He manages to turn around, but it's tight and he nearly gets stuck. Then he resumes his downward journey. Past the fork he goes, continuing down until the path slants, levels out, and then forks again. Again his lungs are straining, but the Emerald is getting closer the further he travels. He checks for resonance and then takes the path to the left. It starts sloping back down again, then up, twisting and turning and winding. Again, Shadow begins suffocating, but he's so close. And then an idea occurs to him. Shadow focuses on Chaos, focuses on changing reality to match his will. He takes the time inside his body and _twists_. And then his lungs are full again, as if he'd _just_ taken a large breath, and the darkness creeping in at the edges of his vision recedes. The experience is a little disorienting, but it's also a relief.

With renewed energy, Shadow continues swimming. He refills his lungs twice more along the way, and each time leaves him dizzier than before. But that's fine, he's the ultimate lifeform; there won't be any lasting damage. Even if there is, it doesn't matter in the face of what he gains if he manages to gather all the Emeralds. As the dizziness grows he swears he can hear his mother telling him he's being reckless, so when the path forks a third time he takes the branch that angles up. His lungs are burning again and so he resets once more. Manic urges him to go back, but he can't. Not yet. The energy needed to reset his body is too much, he only has one more reset in him. Manic should understand this, but he doesn't. Shadow wishes he could open his mouth to say something, but he's too far underwater. He keeps swimming, and all too soon the familiar burning reaches his lungs. Another body reset and Amy joins Manic's efforts of urging Shadow back, but he's so close—

Finally, the tunnel opens into a cavern. The relief Shadow feels when his head breaks the surface and he can breathe something other than his own recycled oxygen is so deep that he lacks the words to capture it. He drags himself into the shallow part of the pool and collapses, choking down deep lungfuls of stale air and feeling like he's breathing for the first time in his life. As the Chaos in his body blends with the fresh air in his system, confused thoughts and half heard voices start clearing up and the dizziness passes. A cold clarity washes over him; maybe recycling his air like that wasn't his best choice. What if the confusion had never cleared up? Not that it matters, it worked and he's here and he can _breathe_.

He's not sure how long he lays there, half submerged in the pool, droplets from the cave ceiling falling on him, but eventually he sits up and looks around. On the far side of the cavern is a small opening. Reluctant to dive back into the pool sooner than he has to, Shadow decides to investigate the tunnel. It angles down, and Shadow decides to follow it in case it leads where he wants to go. Better to avoid going back into the water if he can help it. He seriously considers teleporting back for his clothes first, even if he _is_ Chaos weary, but ultimately decides to conserve his energy in case he needs it. And so, damp and mostly nude, Shadow ventures back into the abyss.

The slope of the tunnel is steep enough to be a treacherous walk, but not so steep that it'd be better to climb, which is a pain. As Shadow follows the path his Emerald starts pulsing with the resonance. He's close now, which is more of a relief than he cares to admit. Still, he has to be careful if he doesn't want to—

A crumbling sound echoes around Shadow as his foot slips through the ground, and before he has time to react, the rest of him follows. Through darkness he falls, just long enough to realize he's falling before something hard and wet slams into his back, shocking him into dropping his Emerald. As he slides he tries to catch the glowing gem, but it slips out of his grip and the properties that normally keep it aloft cause it to drift slower than him in the underground rapids. Shadow tries to gather the residual Chaos in his body, but between his exhaustion and the excess of stimulus around him, it’s impossible. He’s being washed towards the other Emerald, though, so maybe—

An involuntary shout rips out of him as he's washed over the edge of an underground waterfall, and then he's falling again.

And then he isn't. Again.

Rocks bite into Shadow's skin, scraping up his ribcage until he's thoroughly wedged in place, until either the rocks or his ribs will have to give in order for him to be free. For a moment he's too stunned to react. He's the ultimate lifeform, this isn't right. He's powerful, immortal. He should be invincible, but with nowhere else to go the waterfall is pooling around him. He should be invincible, and he's going to _drown_. He tries to brace his hands on the walls to pull himself out of the hole, but they're so slippery, and the force of the waterfall is more powerful than bio-engineered limbs ever could be. He kicks his legs out in every direction, hoping to find something to give him _leverage_ , but there's nothing. Just open air and a slight trickle of water making it past his body, slowing his inevitable death, but not stopping it. As the realization sets in, panic follows, and soon Shadow is thrashing. The water is past his head now, and he can do nothing else. Desperately he gathers the Chaos inside himself, reaching out for any latent energy in the air and walls and water around him. If he can gather enough energy to _shift_ to the open area beneath him, then he'll be free. Is shifting blind a good idea? No, but shifting further up the waterfall would just delay his drowning, and he can't see himself managing a jump further than four, maybe five feet. He strains, but it's no good. Again the darkness creeps at the edges of his vision. He exhales what little air he has left in an effort to halt his body's natural response to excess carbon, but it only delays the inevitable. Already, he sees the light at the end of the tunnel, slowly drifting closer as his consciousness fades. Closer and closer until it gently bumps into his face and he feels a surge of energy. Deadly instinct and a will to _live_ kicks in.

In an instant more fleeting than a heartbeat, Shadow transcends time and space, exists simultaneously trapped in a hole in the middle of a waterfall and floating way above a faintly glowing cavern, and then the universe re-orients itself and he's only in one place again, plummeting through the cavern into the pool below.

He barely has time to catch the Emerald he teleported with and take a gasp of breath before plunging into the steaming pool beneath him. It only takes a moment for him to break the surface, and if the air was sweet the last time he'd nearly drowned, it's all the sweeter now for how much closer death had been. He relaxes and just floats, breathing the humid cave air. As he floats, he looks around. The whole cavern is dimly lit by a golden glow, emanating from an island in the middle of the chamber, along with the green light of his Emerald. The walls are smoother than nature should allow, and waterfalls pour from cracks in the ceiling. Plants have overgrown the glowing island, and when Shadow glances at the water around him, he's surprised by how clear it is. The bottom is a ways off, and yet he can easily see it, along with the fish and snails that live down there.

For longer than intended, Shadow relaxes and breathes, letting the warmth of the water soothe his weary soul. Along with observing the cavern itself, Shadow takes time to hold his Emerald up in front of him, watching the way it pulses in harmony with the other Emerald. Watching the way the red streak on the outside of his forearm seems to catch the Emerald's glow. It runs from his elbow to midway down his hand, a physical manifestation of the Chaos thrumming in his veins. Shadow wonders if it will fade if he goes long enough without using Chaos, or if it's permanent, like his hair and eyes. Not that it matters; he can never go back to how things were before. School was boring enough when Shadow _couldn't_ manipulate time and space. It would be nice to go back to tutoring Amy, though. To have a normal relationship with her, to go on dates and invite her to prom. Shadow's stomach clenches at the thought. He'd never wanted that stuff before, but now.... He takes a deep breath and fully submerges before coming back up, like a sort of mental reset. He goes under the water filled with longing and regret, and when he surfaces, the spell of the cavern is broken. Shadow has made his choice and there's no going back. He pushes down everything but his determination and swims to the glowing island to retrieve the final Chaos Emerald.

Wednesday, December 8th, 12:03am, Rouge's Livingroom

Rouge is a light sleeper, has been since her life disintegrated in the ball of fire that consumed her world with its light. There was a time when she slept deeply, untroubled by anything, but now even the slightest of noises wakes her up, often for a while. So when her pager goes off in the night, she's up. This is the second time Shadow has actually contacted her, the first being to make sure Amy was safe after her rescue. This one is just as short and demanding as the last, but she figures Robotnik probably has them tapped so she can't be too salty about it. Plus, typing on them is actually incredibly irritating.

**FOUND 7TH EMERALD.**

**MEET ME PARK @ NOON TO DISCUSS OTHERS.**

She chews her lip as she re-reads the message for a third time. If they found that Emerald, then it's only a matter of time before they locate the three that are here, which means they can't waste any more time. She weighs her options and, in the end, decides to wake the others. As much as she doesn't want to betray Shadow's trust, she'd rather _not_ give the rest of the Emeralds to Robotnik. Besides, once they're gathered, Shadow will come back around.

Once everyone is up—well, almost everyone. Cream, Vanilla, Aziza, and the G.U.N. agents have been left to sleep—Rouge tells them that Shadow has found the seventh Emerald.

“But, how do _you_ know Shadow has it?” Tails asks.

Rouge shifts uncomfortably. “He told me,” she admits after a moment.

“He... told you?” Amy echoes, brow furrowed.

“Yes.”

“You've been keeping in contact with him,” Sonic accuses.

Rouge shifts again. “Yes, I have.”

“But how?” Tails asks.

“With this,” Rouge answers, pulling out her pager. Amy gasps, and Rouge's eyes lock with hers.

“So you're the one who—” she starts, only to cut herself off. Rouge isn't prepared for the hurt that blossoms in her expression before she breaks eye contact.

“What else?” Blaze asks, drawing Rouge's attention from Amy.

“What do you mean, what else?” she asks with feigned innocence.

Blaze gives Rouge a look. “If you were just concerned about Shadow having the Emeralds now you would have included everyone in this meeting, so what are you keeping from us?”

Rouge sighs. “He wants me to meet him at noon, to discuss the location of our Emeralds.”

Sonic snarls. “Have you been feeding him information?”

Rouge stiffens, mind working on overdrive so that she can spin this in her favour. “Once, to gain his trust,” she says, “and you should be glad for it. If I hadn't, we'd have no way of luring him into our trap.”

“What the _fuck_ , Rouge?” Sonic demands before she's fully finished speaking, and then everyone is staring at him, shocked. Even Sonic looks a little stunned.

“Did you just—” Amy begins, wide-eyed. Rouge can't blame her, in all her years of knowing him, Sonic has never said anything more profane than 'hell'.

“ _We_ trusted you,” Sonic continues after he gathers himself. “How could you betray us?”

Rouge bristles. “I didn't betray anyone, I was building trust to keep everyone safe. Shadow will come back around.”

“You told him where an Emerald was!” Sonic argues. “A little warning would have been nice!”

Rouge rolls her eyes. “I thought you'd get there first,” she replies. It's not really the truth, but if it'll make him feel better, she doesn't see the harm. “Besides, hasn't the information I gathered been useful?”

Sonic looks like he wants to argue, but Tails places a soothing hand on his arm. “The maps and robot schematics she brought us _have_ been very useful,” he points out.

Sonic sighs. “They were more useful when there wasn't a price tag attached,” he mutters.

Rouge huffs. “Look, like it or not, this is exactly the opportunity we've been hoping for. Shadow trusts me. I can tell him where we're taking the Emeralds and influence him to bring his own Emeralds. We have this.”

“Do we even know where we're taking the Emeralds?” Blaze asks.

“We do, actually!” Tails replies.

Knuckles nods. “We were going to wait until morning to tell everyone, but I remembered something my grandpa said about the Mystic Ruins, and then Tails scanned the area, and—”

“And there it was!” Tails cuts in.

“But, how are we gonna get there?” Amy wonders. “I mean, last I checked we can't really leave the city.”

“Actually, I think I have that figured out, too,” Tails answers with a grin. “See, it only took a little while to make a radar detecting wavelengths similar to the Emeralds, then it was just a matter of setting it to auto scan for us. Obviously I needed to be in the room while it was going in case it picked anything up, but I didn't actually have anything to do, so I figured I might as well see if I could make a small engine powered by the Emeralds. I mean, to leave the city we need to be fast—like, ignore the usual constraints of physics fast—but if you consider that the power required to keep a commercial aircraft flying at a constant altitude and speed is 7.2 × 106 watts, it's easy enough to adjust for the rate of fuel burn necessary for the engines to produce enough power to keep our smaller plane flying, and extrapolate from there for an estimate of the rate of fuel burn we'd be facing if we were to double or triple a jet's standard speed. From there it becomes clear that the biggest issue facing us if we want to make it is a lack of, well, everything. Fuel, power, parts, et cetera. _But,_ if we can tap into the Emeralds, we should be able to circumvent the fuel issue entirely _and_ overclock our engines, allowing unparalleled speed for at least a few seconds without too many catastrophic reactions.” He pauses to gauge reactions.

Everyone just stares, and Tails' grin turns sheepish.

“We can use our Emeralds to super-charge an aircraft and make it past Robotnik's perimeter,” he clarifies. “We just need to get an aircraft big enough for a group of us.” He glances at Rouge expectantly and she splutters.

“What are you looking at me for?”

“Doesn't your dad own a private chartering company?”

She blinks at that. “I mean, he does, but how do _you_ know that?”

Tails shrugs awkwardly. “Rouge _Dubois_? _Dubois_ Flights? It's, ah, kinda obvious.”

“I suppose it is,” Rouge concedes. Most people she meets don't pay attention to chartering companies, but it makes sense for someone who builds their own planes to be more informed. “How long will it take you to make the engines Chaos capable?”

Another shrug. “Two or three days? Maybe less....”

After that a rough plan comes together. In the morning, Rouge will ask her dad for permission to borrow a jet, then Tails and Sonic will head over and get to work while Rouge and the others convince G.U.N. to go along with their scheme. Rouge will then meet with Shadow at noon, and... well, hopefully things go as expected. But for now, everyone heads back to bed. They have a busy few days coming up, and they need all the sleep they can get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're in the home stretch now. That being said, things have been absolutely crazy with the move and with work. (I work in a bookstore and we've been doing a full store rearrange, which means long hours of building new bookshelves, moving thousands of books from one to the other, and just generally dealing with the gongshow that a used-and-new bookstore entails) As a result, the next chapter will probably be a week or two late. I'll try to get it out on time, but it's not quite done being written yet, and then it has the 6 waves of editing to go through. I know exactly what's happening, though. Just got to transfer it from ideas in my brain to words on my screen.
> 
> Stay safe, everyone.
> 
> Also, special thanks to Chi for inspiring the direction this chapter took. Couldn't have written Shadow's scene without you, though I'm not sure that's what you had in mind. <3


	20. Chapter 19 - Let me show you just what I'm made of

Saturday, December 11th, 2:16pm, Mobotropolis Towers

Shadow always had good balance. Even before he learned how to manipulate Chaos, he could stand on the unlikeliest of structures with ease. The only thing that stopped him from pursuing truly reckless perches had been a healthy respect for gravity.

Now that the threat of plummeting to the hard, unforgiving concrete below has been rendered a non-issue, Shadow is free to sit where he pleases. Right now, where he pleases is the upper spire of the Mobotropolis Towers, the only place in the city that allows him a panoramic view of the doctor's perimeter. According to Rouge, Sonic and the others are taking the Emeralds out of the city today, but Shadow sees the robots patrolling the city limits from his perch. This far away they look like toys, but up close? The tracks they leave are large enough to contain football fields. How Robotnik managed to hide them from the world for so long, Shadow will never know. Each of the titanic creations is outfitted with anti-tank artillery that's able to be launched at supersonic speeds; one of them alone could level an entire town in seconds, and even the full force of G.U.N. would struggle to contain them. Their only weakness is how long it takes them to travel anywhere.

And Sonic is expecting to just fly right past them without being shot down. The idea would be laughable if not for the chilling knowledge that, regardless of Rouge's assurances to the contrary, Amy will be with them. Shadow knows how stubborn his girlfriend is; knows how she hates to be left behind. So he sits, waiting, tenser than he has ever been, watching to see if they can even come close to making it.

Hoping that they will.

As the hours pass, Shadow's anxiety rises. Where are they? What's taking so long? Aren't they eager to get this over with?

The sun has started setting when he finally hears the distinct sound of a jet drawing near. It passes over him, approaching the city limits. The closest robot pauses in its plodding path to take aim at the aircraft. Shadow watches with baited breath as the automaton fires. The missiles arc towards the jet and Shadow is unable to tear his gaze away. And then the sky shatters. All the air rushes up, there's a deafening roar, and the jet holding Shadow's last remaining friends seems to stretch out impossibly long for a second. The missiles crash into each other where the jet was, and the sky settles back into place.

“What—” Shadow can't help but start, about to express his astonishment to the ether, but instead of talking to himself, he pulls out his Emerald—the green one, the first one they found—and uses it to return to the lair.

Robotnik is laughing at one of his monitors when Shadow arrives. In lieu of an actual greeting, the scientist says, “I wasn't expecting some kids to grasp light-speed travel! Or, near enough at any rate. Oh my, things just got interesting.” The genuine mirth on his face is a not something Shadow's seen before, and it's more than a little off-putting.

“Interesting, Doctor?”

“Amusing, entertaining, exciting,” he replies drolly, as if Shadow is too dumb to grasp the word. Shadow grits his teeth and clenches his fists to keep from striking out. “My opinion of these kids has gone up considerably, and my curiosity is piqued.”

The words 'that's not what I meant and you know it' dance at the back of Shadow's tongue, but he refuses to be baited. Instead he says, “What now?”

“Isn't it obvious? Your little friends are lost. We should find them and bring them home.”

Shadow rolls his eyes at the faux concern in Robotnik's voice. “We don't know if they're there yet, and if they see the slightest hint of us being there ahead of them, they can repeat their little escape attempt.”

“And that concerns us why? You're the ultimate lifeform, the most powerful weapon ever created. With all seven Emeralds at our disposal we can do anything, and there is nothing in the world that can stop us. You can take out their wings long before they spot us.”

Green eyes fill Shadow's mind. If there's even the slightest chance of her being there, and Shadow cannot shake the certainty that she will be, then he'll need to play his cards right. Even without a full fleet of G.U.N. agents present, he needs to be careful. Sonic has been practising with the Emeralds too, after all, and they're _expecting_ Shadow and Robotnik to follow. _Expecting_ a fight to break out. Shadow hasn't even told the scientist about the handful of agents they've brought with them, or the ambush. If it weren't for Amy he wouldn't give them time to set up, but....

“No. Better to wait until morning, when they've had a chance to let escape go to their heads.”

Robotnik tuts. “Shadow, what is this _really_ about?” Shadow swallows. If he discovers the ambush, the scientist will push for a counter ambush. Shadow could make something up, but it would likely be seen through immediately. The truth, then.

“I don't want my girlfriend getting caught in the crossfire.”

Robotnik snorts at that. “Which one?” Shadow falters, and all he can do is stare uselessly until the scientist prompts him again. “The Prisoner, or the Pager?”

Shadow makes an effort to swallow his mounting apprehension. “I don't follow,” he tries, earning a hearty guffaw.

“Oh, I think you do. I'll admit, your little show in the hallway had me fooled, but did you really think I wouldn't catch on eventually?” Shadow opens his mouth to say something, _anything_ that will get the spotlight off of Amy, but the panic gripping his heart makes words impossible. Luckily, Robotnik hasn't finished speaking. “Oh Shadow, I'm not angry. Disappointed in your lack of trust, maybe, but I get it. You're young, you have _needs_ , and she really is quite pretty. If it weren't for your willingness to smite her, I'd have been worried at the secrecy. Still, I thought you'd said she's Sonic's girl?”

Shadow swallows, but he can work with this. His reputation can't really plunge any further, after all. “Was, and likely still is,” he replies. “I just wanted to see if Perfect Sonic's perfect girlfriend was as unfailingly loyal as she claimed.” Robotnik raises an eyebrow, and Shadow isn't sure if he can keep slandering Amy, even if only by insinuation.

“Does Pager know about your infidelity?” the scientist asks, and Shadow barely keeps from letting out a relieved sigh.

“Of course not,” he replies as flippantly as he can manage. “Do you really think she'd continue to spy on the others for me if she did?”

Robotnik snorts. “I suppose not. As long as we're on the same page.” The two exist in silence for a moment, before Robotnik lets out a sigh. “Fine, have it your way. We'll give the kids a night to relax, but we attack at dawn.”

Shadow nods. “Understood,” he says, before turning to go. But of course, the scientist isn't done with him quite yet.

“One more thing?” Shadow waits, expectant as a trained dog awaiting its master's command. “This is your last chance, Shadow. Any more secrets and I will be forced to terminate you.”

“I'd like to see you try,” Shadow scoffs. Robotnik's eyes narrow.

“Don't test me, boy.” There's a tense minute where the two lock eyes, neither willing to back down, before the doctor waves Shadow off. “You're dismissed.”

Saturday, December 11th, 4:31pm, Above Station Square

Sonic fidgets in his seat. He hates sitting still; hates it more when he doesn't have the option to get up and _move_. If the jet had less people on it he could pace, but... he scans the crowd instead. In a perfect world it would just be him going to fight 'Buttnik and Shadow, but it isn't. Can't be, really; Tails is the only one who knows how to operate his cobbled together, Chaos-powered warp engine, and Knuckles is confident that he's the only one who can activate the Master Emerald—and even if he isn't, that's not exactly a risk they can afford to take. So Sonic accepts them. G.U.N. coming along as an ambush grates, but it ultimately makes sense; they can keep Tails and Knuckles safe while Sonic handles Shadow.

If that was it, Sonic would have been fine. Except, Rouge insisted on coming too, in case Shadow pages her with last minute information, and Aziza wanted one last chance to talk Shadow out of his current path—and how could Sonic deny her anything after she spent hours consoling him when he didn't deserve it?

But then there's Amy. Of _course_ she's here. There is absolutely no good reason for her to be with them, but she'd bullied her way onto the jet at the last minute, kicking up such a fuss that it hadn't been worth it to argue with her. So now the jet is crowded beyond reasonable capacity, and the only reason it's maintaining lift at all is because of the Chaos Emeralds.

Outside the windows the city perimeter is rapidly approaching, deadly titanic guards included. Inside the plane, everyone copes in their own way. Knuckles and Amy speak in hushed tones about the Master Emerald, Tails checks the console and makes rapid inputs while his G.U.N. assigned co-pilot stares uselessly, and Rouge is... hitting on the female G.U.N. agent from the night of Amy's rescue? Sonic pulls a face; if it was ever further from the time—

“Brace yourselves!” Tails calls out, halting all conversations in their tracks. Sonic looks out the window again and sees a cluster of rockets flying toward them. They're about to hit when he's slammed into the back of his seat, held in place by the pressure of a thousand mountains. The seat lurches and starts to rip out of the flooring, but before it can finish the process, everything is thrown forward as if brakes were suddenly applied. Sonic collapses forward, struck by a nasty sense of vertigo and something resembling whiplash. For a minute, all he can do is breathe deeply and try not to vomit, but eventually he composes himself enough to remember the key to motion sickness, and he slowly lifts his head to take in whatever steady horizon awaits him outside the nearest window. Instead of ocean and city he sees forest and mountain spreading out before them, and past that, farmland.

“We made it,” he breathes, and just like that, whatever spell was keeping everyone subdued is broken. Cheers erupt around Sonic, but he doesn't join in. Something inside him feels... off. As the others celebrate, Sonic is ashamed to realize that, for a moment there, he hadn't actually believed they could make it.

His heart is still racing from the Chaos-powered jump when he realizes why he feels so off. For days he's felt Sonia declining, but now? Nothing. Just like when Manic died, there's a newfound emptiness inside his heart, where before there was an ever-present warmth that flickered like a second pulse.

Sonic swallows. For the first time in his life he feels completely and utterly alone, and with that feeling comes understanding: No matter what happens, nothing will ever go back to how it was.

Sunday, December 12th, 3:54am, Shadow's suite

Familiar metal walls are boxing Shadow in, but he keeps running. Maria can't outpace the G.U.N. agents on her own, after all. A glance over his shoulder reveals familiar green eyes and pink hair. A distant voice tells him that this is wrong, that he should be seeing blue eyes and blond hair, but he's too worried about getting her to safety to pay it any mind. He follows the familiar path toward the central chamber, to the escape pod. Surely they'll make it this time.

This time?

He shakes off the _déjà vu_ as they reach their destination. Shadow's heart soars as he steps into the centre of the room and gives Amy's hand a squeeze. Except, he isn't holding it anymore. The glass tube slams down and Shadow's heart lurches. He turns, and a damp hallway stretches out behind him. Manic stands at a control panel outside the escape pad.

“Please,” Maria's voice entreats from Manic's lips as he sags against the control panel. “Do it for me.”

A robot with 'G.U.N.' emblazoned on its breastplate emerges from the gloomy corridor and takes aim at Manic.

“For all the people,” Maria's voice continues, even as Shadow begins shouting to get Manic's attention, but the escape pod has already made its first lurch through the bottom of the room, “who live on that planet—”

Whatever else Manic says is drowned out by the sound of a dozen robots firing on him, and the last thing Shadow sees is Manic falling to the ground. For the third time in under a week, Shadow falls through space only to land in his bed in Robotnik's lair. He doesn't cry out this time, doesn't even gasp. His dreams have been fuzzy ever since Angel Island, though the inconsistencies rarely register until after. Maria, Manic, Amy; they all blur together. Earlier in the week, he'd run out of Robotnik's lair with Maria while G.U.N. agents wearing his face riddled Amy with their bullets. Only, sometimes Maria was Amy, and sometimes Shadow was Manic, and sometimes they were running towards the bullets instead of away from them. Some nights, he dreams of tutoring and spin the bottle and late night confessions instead of corridors and death and running, but those dreams are arguably worse. Even if they didn't leave him feeling guilty and hollow and unfaithful, it feels like sacrilege to dream of kissing the dead.

Shadow waits for his pulse to slow down, for his body to remember that it isn't falling any more than it was kissing Amy over the finer points of History last night. That she'd had green hair and dark eyes half the time is no more relevant than Maria having pink hair and jade eyes, and Shadow refuses to even touch on those topics until after he has the Emeralds. Amy is his partner, Maria was a sister to him, and Manic... he should have seen Manic's value _before_ leading him to his death. But none of that matters anymore, nor can it until he's... what? Avenged someone he doesn't even remember?

Shadow wants to laugh. Here, in the privacy of his rooms, in the middle of the night, he can admit that the path he's chosen is a rocky one at best. In the morning, he will be taking Robotnik to the Mystic Ruins where Sonic and G.U.N. are setting up an ambush. With all seven Emeralds united, he will gain unlimited power. But then what? Robotnik still hasn't given him that list, and even if he wanted to give up on avenging Maria, he can't. He saw the hatred in Sonic's eyes during their last interaction. That bridge has been well and truly burned.

He closes his eyes and Maria's blood splatters across the backs of his eyelids. Manic's corpse hits a dirty, smelly floor. Amy stands by his side as he readies a Chaos Spear. No, Shadow will have his revenge. First on G.U.N., then on Dr. Robotnik. And then, after, if the pure force of seven Chaos Emeralds singing their reality altering song in his veins doesn't burn him out of existence, then he can apologize. He can take Sonic to Manic's grave, he can beg Aleena's forgiveness, he can thank Rouge for sticking by him even when he hasn't deserved it. He can tell Aziza that she will always be his mother, no matter what. He can finally tell Amy that, yes, he loves her too.

Shadow holds tight to these thoughts of a nebulous 'After' as he drifts off to sleep; cradles them in his heart as something delicate and precious. When he wakes again, the sun is rising and he feels oddly light. He doesn't try to fall back asleep, doesn't even waste time lingering in bed. It's the dawn of a new day, and as soon as he has the Emeralds, he can stop living a lie, stop pretending to be something he isn't.

It's odd, Shadow thinks. Last night when he'd been considering today and what would come after, he hadn't actually believed there would be an after, but now with the rising sun comes serenity and faith that all will be right by the end of the day. He gets up and dresses, brushes his teeth and his hair, then heads to meet with Robotnik.

As usual, the scientist is in his control room. Shadow idly wonders if the man ever sleeps.

“Ah, Shadow,” Robotnik greets.

“Doctor,” Shadow replies, and his newfound inner peace lends a certain civility to his tone that had been lacking in all prior interactions. “Do you have the list?”

Dr. Robotnik gives Shadow a considering look. “Eager, aren't we?”

“Today's the day this all becomes worth it. Once I've taken Sonic's Emeralds, we can take out each and every person on that list, and after that, you will have the world.”

The scientist blinks at that. “What makes you think I want the world?”

Shadow rolls his eyes. “Please, you and I both know that avenging Maria was never anything more to you than the lure with which you could buy me. So, you have me. Give me today, and I will serve this filthy planet to you on a silver fucking platter.” The lies slip off his tongue easier than ever. Righteousness coils through his guts and he knows that the end justifies the means. Today he makes everything right.

“And then what?” Robotnik asks, and Shadow shrugs.

“And then I never want to see you again.”

Robotnik tuts. “So callous. But, I suppose it can't be helped. What need have weapons for paltry things such as manners and loyalty?”

Normally, being referred to as a weapon stings as it reminds Shadow that he hurts everyone around him, but not today. “Precisely,” he replies as the thought floats on by.

Again, that considering look crosses Robotnik's features, but whatever he thinks of this new attitude he keeps to himself. “Fine, have things your way. After you have your revenge, take out what's left of G.U.N. for me, then you're free to leave.”

“Just like that?”

“Of course. With G.U.N. out of the way, and the Chaos Emeralds at my command, I have no need of you.”

Shadow bristles a little at that. Does the scientist really think he's stupid enough to leave with no Emeralds? “I'll be taking the Emeralds,” he corrects, and Robotnik laughs.

“Uh, no. I need them to power my robots.”

Shadow considers this. It doesn't really matter what they agree on in the end, but he can't give in too easily. “I'm not leaving without some way to protect myself,” he argues. “Besides, I did all the work in gathering them. As far as I'm concerned, they're mine.”

“Now that's just unreasonable. You wouldn't have found half of them if it weren't for me, and my robots could have gotten them just as easily as you did. They're mine. But, I'm feeling generous. You can have...,” he pauses for dramatic effect, “one.”

Shadow's lips pull back in a snarl. “Worms would starve on your so-called generosity,” he spits.

Robotnik meets his eyes with a level look. “You're leaving, you seek the Emeralds not for conquest but for protection. Surely the ultimate lifeform only needs one Emerald to stay safe.”

“Two.”

“One.”

Shadow growls and the two lock eyes for several seconds before he allows himself to look away, seemingly defeated. “We can revisit this later,” he grumbles, and Robotnik snorts.

“Of course. But, now that that issue is shelved, we really should be heading out.”

Teleporting two people and a small squad of robotic soldiers several hundred kilometres into unfamiliar territory is no easy task, even with four Emeralds to fuel it, and Shadow nearly collapses when he and the doctor appear in the Mystic Ruins, which is unfortunate because G.U.N. is ready and waiting for them. Immediately all hell breaks loose, but Shadow can't just lay down and give up, not when his Emeralds are reacting to the others.

“Shadow, what is the meaning of this?” Robotnik demands, barely able to raise a deflection shield on his weird, egg-shaped vehicle before the bullets hit.

“It's a trap,” Shadow snarls, hoping the irritation gets mistaken for surprise instead of the panic it is. He wasn't expecting to come into things so drained, and he wonders if willingly walking into a trap is a mistake until he catches a flash of pink up in the ruins, far past combat lines.

As soldiers and robots clash, Shadow focuses on shielding himself. Chaos crackles through the air. With all seven Emeralds so close, reality feels... slippery. He pinpoints the remaining three up in the ruin with Amy, and curses his lack of forethought. Of course she'd be with his goal. Still, he can get the gems without hurting anyone. With all the Chaos sparking around him he's already starting to feel refreshed, and it's easier than ever to snap from one place to the next. In a heartbeat he's passed the combat, and something solid smashes into his face.

“Not so fast, Shadow,” Sonic snarls. An aura of pure energy surrounds him, visible to Shadow through the same sense that allows him to 'feel' the Emeralds. The energy twists and writhes, as if opposed to Sonic's inexpert handling of it. Shadow reaches out, takes hold of the Chaos around his rival and twists it to his bidding. An influx of power rushes through him, and with it, he Chaos Controls his way right into the ruin, earning a series of shrieks from the occupants.

The room is cavernous, and at the centre is an altar with a massive green Emerald on it. Knuckles is leaning against the gem, his forehead resting on it while he mutters something, seemingly unaware of the world around him. Floating around them are Sonic's Emeralds, and Shadow's waste no time in freeing themselves from his pockets and joining the others.

Shadow takes a step toward the altar, but is halted by Amy throwing herself between him and his goal. “Shadow, please. You don't have to do this!” she cries, but he's come too far to stop now.

“Step aside, Amelia. I won't fight you.”

She shakes her head. “Absolutely not,” she replies, spreading her arms as if to physically stop him. “You must know that Robotnik is bad. Join us and we can stop him together.”

For a moment Shadow hesitates, but Maria's blood splatters inside his skull and he knows that he can't. “Amy, please. Let me have this. After I get the Emeralds and avenge Maria, I promise you... after that, we can take the doctor down.”

To his surprise, Amy actually wavers.

“ _Habibi_ ,” an achingly familiar voice calls from the edge of the room. Shadow turns to see Aziza standing in an alcove he'd previously not noticed. She holds her arms up for him and his will wavers.

“Mum,” he replies, and he's ashamed of the way his voice breaks.

“Don't listen to him!” Sonic shouts from the doorway, and Shadow whirls to see Sonic running towards them, fist raised. Reflexively, Shadow reaches for the power of the Emeralds. To his surprise it comes easier and faster than ever before. Whatever that larger Emerald is, it seems to be empowering the smaller ones. It takes less effort to snap out of Sonic's way than it takes to breathe. Shadow raises his own fist in retaliation but, much to his shock, Sonic blocks it almost faster than Shadow can see.

Shadow quickly realizes that this fight will be nothing like their previous fights. Not only is Sonic clearly playing for keeps this time, he's also ready for Shadow, able to keep up with Chaos powered punches, kicks, and dodges. When Shadow freezes time, Sonic still moves with him. Sonic kicks and it strikes true, doubling Shadow over. He lashes out with a Chaos Spear, and Sonic rolls out of the energy's path. Instead of shooting Chaos Spears of his own, Sonic manipulates the energy into boosting his jumps, allowing him to hover for a moment after jumping, and occasionally even jump off the air itself in what can only be described as a double jump. Sometimes, Sonic jumps off the air directly at Shadow. And so Shadow draws in more and more Chaos, until nothing feels real anymore, until his wrists start to burn, until all at once, the energy stops. One moment Shadow is manipulating the very essence of the universe as easy as breathing, the next he's struggling to keep his footing as he searches in vain for an energy source that isn't there.

And then it’s back, surging impossibly strong, arcing from the large Emerald over his head directly into Sonic. Sonic starts floating, a glow forming within him and spreading outwards until it encompasses him, his skin and hair taking on a golden tone, like liquid metal. With a strangled cry, Shadow throws himself at Sonic, joining him in the pillar of Chaos. Sonic's eyes open, glowing as red as Shadow's ever have, before the colours start leeching out of him. Shadow grapples with his rival, willing the energy into himself, but Sonic fights back. The glow ripples, spreading to Shadow's hands and up his own arms, colouring all but the angry red Chaos streaks as golden as Sonic. As the energy fluctuates between them, a power like nothing he's ever felt before infuses him. Shadow's awareness of reality melts away until all that's left is him and Sonic and _power_. The first thing Shadow notices when reality re-orients itself is the Chaos Emeralds, all grey and foggy, lying uselessly on the ground. The second thing he notices is that gravity no longer holds any sway over him. Next to him, Sonic seems to be experiencing the same realization. They lock eyes again, and Sonic lunges.

Moving like this is different. Before, Shadow was constrained by the limitations of flesh, but now he has complete freedom. Rather than wasting precious milliseconds moving limbs one muscle at a time to dodge, Shadow simply thinks about moving and it happens. As quick as thought, Shadow dodges and Sonic pursues. And then, when the rhythm becomes familiar, quicker. Moving purely by instinct they clash, hitting each other with fists and feet as often as blasts of pure energy. Their attacks send each other flying, but the ruined chamber around them stops them from going too far.

And so Shadow punches Sonic toward the door, causing the other teen to crash out of the ruin, directly into an active battlefield. Shadow follows him.

Robotnik directs his small force of robots with a precision that any general would envy while Sonic and Shadow battle in the sky above.

Sonic drives Shadow into the ground with enough force to create a small crater.

“Stop it,” Amy shouts in slow motion, running down the ruined staircase. Before she can get close, Shadow launches back into the air and charges Sonic again. They crash, they fight, one of them goes flying, they repeat. Shadow _knows_ he could draw in even more energy, enough to wipe Sonic off this world like rain off a windshield, but every time he tries it, the pain in his wrists flares, burning his insides. It's like trying to resurrect Manic all over again.

They continue to fight.

When Shadow crashes into the ground at Amy's feet, he can't tell if seconds have passed since they started, or hours. All he knows is that the energy fuelling him is starting to wane. He looks up to see a large blast of energy nearly at him, too large and too close for him to dodge even with Chaos-enhanced movements. Amy saw it coming before Shadow even hit the ground, though, and as he looks up she's there, throwing herself between him and certain death at the last possible second. A wave of horror incapacitates him as the blast smashes into her, so hard that it throws her against him with enough force to drive him further into the earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, happy belated birthday to B Bolen! I'm sorry I couldn't post on your actual birthday, but this chapter gave me a lot of trouble. I actually wound up scrapping the first draft and starting over the day I was due to post, because I just wasn't feeling it.  
> But, I have some happy news. Chapter 20 and the epilogue are both complete now, and just need a bit more editing before I can post them. So, Tuesday the 17th I will be posting them, meaning this fic will finally be done, which is very exciting for me!  
> Also, thank you to everyone who has commented that I haven't replied to yet. I promise I've seen your messages, and I will reply soon. <3


	21. Chapter 20 - So many things erased before they begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate ending, courtesy of my brother:  
> Sonic’s Emeralds and Shadow’s Emeralds commingle into Emeraldy goodness, as they float off to Emerald heaven where they can be Emeralds in peace, far from the Emerald thieving hedgehogs.
> 
> ...Emeralds.
> 
> Anyways mind the time stamps

Tuesday, November 1st, 10:27am, Station Square Academy

Amy waits, fingers crossed. This test is worth thirty percent of her grade, she can't afford to fail it; she's just scraping by as it is. Plus, if she fails this one her parents will be seriously ticked off, which will mean she can't go out with Sonic this weekend!

She blinks, hit with a wave of _déjà vu_ , like she's been here before. But that doesn't make any sense because _of_ _course_ she's been here before. She sits here every day. Mr. Bailey passes the tests out upside down and the feeling of _déjà vu_ refuses to subside. Then he tells the class they may flip over their papers, and she feels the disappointment before she even sees the big, red 'D' at the top of her page. Under it are the words 'see me after class' in her teacher's hasty scrawl. She slumps in her seat because, regardless of the freaky _déjà vu_ , this is bad.

She goes through the motions in class and doesn't perk up until lunch when she gets to see Sonic run, which is just _so_ amazing to watch. The rest of her day passes uneventfully, and before she knows it school has ended and she's returning to her History classroom.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” she manages to squeak out when she reaches the door.

“Ah, Amy. Come in, come in,” he greets, beckoning her over and gesturing to the seat next to his desk. She hastens to be seated; the quicker it’s done with, the better. “Amy, the reason I asked to see you is because your latest test result was, well, less than satisfactory. At this rate, I'm afraid you may fail my course completely. You're a bright girl and I have trouble believing that you would want to be held back a year.”

Amy hangs her head as the gravity of the situation hits her. “No sir,” she whispers.

“That's why I want to recommend you get a tutor.”

Amy looks back up with a start. “Didn't we try that before?” Even as she says it she knows the answer is no. She doesn't know why she asked.

Mr Bailey blinks, then furrows his brow. “No?” he answers, but it sounds more like a question. There's an awkward pause before he continues. “I was thinking of an older student who did well in this course as your tutor. They would go to your house twice a week and help you study. What do you think?”

Shaking off the weirdness that just happened, Amy finds herself perking right up. “Do you really think that'll work, sir?”

“If I didn't, do you think I'd be recommending it?” her teacher asks with a good-natured smile. Amy returns that smile with a grin of her own, and they set about filling the paperwork required to find a suitable tutor based on her address and availability.

When Amy gets home, her parents are quite disappointed by her grade and tell her that she's not allowed to go out, but she follows a suggestion Blaze gave her at lunch and promises to spend her weekend studying and doing homework if she can just please _please_ go out with Sonic on Friday? She gives her best puppy-dog eyes and her father gives in.

Sunday, December 12th, 9:47am, Mystic Ruins

The seconds drag by. Shadow is too stunned to do anything but cradle Amy's still form in his arms. Her eyes stare unblinkingly and that should register as odd, but it doesn't.

And then Sonic lands in front of Shadow and everything clicks into place.

“You killed her,” Shadow says as the realization hits.

Sonic steps forward, and Shadow remembers that they're in the middle of a battle. “No, I—” Whatever half formed protest Sonic is about to utter is cut off by a Chaos Spear slamming into him and knocking him _away_. It's Sonic's turn to crash into the ground, and he finally releases the energy he was holding onto, which Shadow is quick to siphon. When Sonic sits up, his skin and hair are back to normal, but his eyes have taken on a vibrant cyan hue. “No,” he repeats, getting shakily to his feet. “No no no no no,” he continues, on and on. Blood stains his shirt where the Spear hit him, but Shadow barely pays it any mind. With Sonic out of his super form, he isn't a threat. Instead, Shadow focuses on Amy, tries to find any traces of life in her burnt and broken body.

There are none, but that's not right. She can't be dead; he hasn't told her he loves her yet. She can't die without knowing he loves her.

Except, she has. He should be crying, he thinks. He cried when he held Manic, and he hadn't loved Manic the way he loves Amy. So, he should definitely be crying.

He isn't, though. Instead of feeling sorrow, he feels hollow. Instead of crying, he can only stare.

Friday, November 4th, 2:18pm, Station Square Academy

Wednesday comes, then Thursday, and the whole time Amy feels a nagging sense in the back of her mind that she's done all this before. She remembers things the moment they happen—as if they'd already happened—constantly, and though it leaves her feeling more than a little frayed she doesn't want to tell anybody about it; doesn't want to seem... weird.

By Friday, Amy is much too frazzled to focus on her schoolwork. Between the excitement about her date and the constant _déjà vu_ , sleep has been eluding her. As a result the entire day passes in a dreamlike haze, but when school ends Amy's energy picks up and she rushes home to get ready. She pushes her hair back with a red hairband and puts on the new outfit she'd bought just for this occasion; a red halter-dress with white trim, and some matching boots. She re-does her makeup and spends the next couple hours fretting over how she looks until it's time to head out.

She gets to Twinkle Park about fifteen minutes early, heart racing. She can do this, she's done this before. Or, no, she _hasn't_ done this before. That's the issue. But, she's fine, and this is fine. Great, actually, because she is about to go on a date with _Sonic_ , her _soulmate_. Deep breaths, in and out. Just breathe. She's known Sonic her entire life, she can do this. Breathe.

Fifteen minutes pass, and Sonic arrives right on time. Amy blinks. “You're here,” she says wonderingly, and Sonic gives her a funny look.

“Of course I am,” he replies. “Six o'clock, right?”

Amy nods. “Yeah but— I thought— Your friend—” Even as she speaks, Amy realizes she doesn't know _what_ she thought, or _why_ she thought it, and worse; She realizes she sounds totally crazy. Going by the way Sonic is side-eyeing her, he thinks so too. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts. “Never mind, today's been weird, let's hurry inside!”

She latches onto his arm, dragging him into the park to officially start their first date, which goes off without a hitch and culminates with them becoming an official couple on the ferris wheel.

Amy spends the rest of her weekend doing homework and studying just like she promised she would, but what had once seemed like a gaping chasm of drudgery is now completely worth it. Sonic is her boyfriend!

She tries to ignore the tickle in the back of her head telling her he didn't seem too thrilled.

Despite the brief reprieve in _déjà vu_ at the beginning of her date, it returns quickly. Amy remembers things right before they happen right up until Tuesday when it's time to meet her tutor. Because of this, when her buzzer rings on Tuesday for her first tutoring session she's ready for it.

“Rose residence, this is Amy. Can I ask who's calling?” she greets, feeling the insane urge to come across as serious and responsible. She has to make a better first impression this time.

“This is Espio,” an entirely unexpected voice replies, and Amy feels a wave of disappointment that it isn't—

The thought is gone before she can grasp it.

“I'm here to tutor you,” Espio finishes.

“Alright, come on up,” Amy answers with false cheer, buzzing him in. She heads downstairs and grabs them each a slice of pie. He likes sweets, after all.

Wait. Who likes sweets?

She's just finished plating the snacks when a knock comes at the door. “Coming,” she hollers. For a heartbeat, she expects dark hair that refuses to be tamed, but when she answers the door she gets a very well maintained magenta undercut.

“Hello,” Espio greets in his surprisingly deep voice. “Amy, right?”

Amy forces a smile, because it isn't his fault that, for some reason, she'd been expecting somebody else. “Yeah. Pleased to meet you, Espio.”

Two more weeks of _déjà vu_ pass, and Amy's finally starting to get used to it, though she can't help but wonder if this is the universe's way of telling her something. Along with the _déjà vu_ is a weird sense of urgency, like there's a train she needs to catch, but she can't remember where the station is. It gets to the point that she decides to buy a tarot deck after school the Friday before Rouge's pool party, fully intent on using it after the party. But then the party happens and she can't bring herself to use them. How can she think of the future when she's being forced to come to terms with the fact that Sonic has been lying to her?

Not that anyone had told her, but after spin-the-bottle it's obvious. Should have been obvious sooner, but she hadn't wanted to see it. She still doesn't, but a voice in the back of her head won't let her pretend any longer. Which means Amy has to do the unthinkable.

She has to break up with Sonic.

She avoids him instead.

Sunday, December 12th, 9:53am, Mystic Ruins

Dimly, Shadow considers reversing time. He can do that. He could stop her from getting hit. Or, he could go back further. With the sheer volume of Chaos infusing his every cell, it's certainly possible. He could go to before the ambush and stop it all.

Green hair and shitty band tees flash in his mind.

He could go further.

He reaches inside himself, reaches outside too, focuses on grabbing _all_ the energy. And then, as he does when teleporting, he twists. Only, instead of twisting the _where_ he twists the _when_ , folds time like an accordion, until now and two weeks ago are touching. The energy in his veins _burns_ but he presses on. He's in that basement with Amy all over again, and he can save Manic.

Tuesday, November 23rd, 6:30am, Amy's Bedroom

It's a Tuesday when it finally happens. Amy wakes up and _knows_. Except, she doesn't know anything, can’t possibly know anything, because there's nothing _to_ know.

But, today the world as she knows it is going to end, she feels it in every fibre of her being.

Except that’s crazy.

Except, except, except...!

Amy ignores the urgency in her heart and gets ready for school like she does every Tuesday. She puts on her uniform and does her hair and makeup. She grabs her bag, meets Cream, and suppresses her fears.

When they meet the others, Sonic is there. She gives him a tight smile, and tucks her arm through his because if she doesn't then he'll know something's up, and she understands now why he doesn't want to have that conversation. It's going to be hard and messy and upsetting.

Maybe that's what today is, the day she breaks up with Sonic.

He makes his escape when they reach the school and she lets him, and then doesn't see him again until she's meeting him, Manic, and Espio for the walk home.

Every step fills Amy with a quiet dread. It's going to be soon, whatever _it_ is.

Espio is in the middle of trying to explain something to Amy when it happens. The feeling of _wrong_ inside her lurches, and everything inside her lurches alongside it. For a second she thinks she's staring into the sun and being burnt away. She hears Espio's sharp intake of breath from across the table.

The world re-orients and it doesn't look like anything has changed at all, until she glances at her tutor. His eyes are wide and unfocused, his breathing is heavy, and all the blood has drained from his face.

“You felt that too?” Amy asks, because she needs to know _for sure_ that she isn't crazy. Espio nods. “What was it?”

“I don't—” He cuts himself off to swallow. “I—” He shakes his head. “For a split second I thought I was on fire,” he finally admits.

Amy hesitates. “Do you—” it's her turn to swallow. “Do you think we should, ah... would the news...?” Espio nods again and she takes him up to her bedroom so they can sit at the foot of her bed and watch the news, like her and Cream sometimes do when working on school projects.

The news doesn't have anything yet, but checking social media reveals that the entire city is in an uproar. Whatever they'd experienced, they aren't the only ones, and the resulting shock people felt over seemingly nothing is having devastating results. Huge, multi car pile-ups at major intersections, young, healthy people having heart attacks and seizures, and large-scale panic responses are all popping up at the top of every news feed. It isn't long until Espio's phone starts ringing, his mum wanting to know if he's okay. Amy wonders why her own mother isn't calling, but that's eventually answered when a call comes on the landline. Her parents were in one of the accidents and are in the ICU. She feels a sinking sensation, and turns to Espio.

“I have to go,” she tells him.

“Okay. Do you need a ride?”

She blinks owlishly at him. She should say no, she should let him go home to his family and see that they're safe. “Yes, please,” she says as the inexplicable image of her father's body being tossed aside in an overcrowded hallway flashes through her thoughts.

Espio's car might be older than Amy and it reminds her that he's a scholarship kid, which explains why he's such a good tutor. If he's smart enough to get into the most prestigious school in the city for free, then he's smart enough to teach someone as hopeless as Amy. Amy ponders this for longer than it merits in an attempt to keep distracted.

The drive is spent in silence, each teen focused on their own internal monologue. For Amy, it's the fear of what comes next, and the dawning realization that the _déjà vu_ has finally stopped. None of this is familiar, and Amy is surprised by how terrifying that is. She only had it for three weeks, but that was enough for it to become a strange comfort. There was something nice about a life free of surprises, but now? Now she has no idea what to expect.

Sunday, November 28th, 8:32pm, Robotnik's Lair

Time stretches out in front of Shadow, and he can taste every potential future. If Manic doesn't die here, he dies in the escape. Or he dies in the tunnels under Angel Island. A thousand timelines laid out before Shadow, and a thousand deaths with them. As long as Robotnik bombs the city, Manic dies. He's too reckless not to. And in every timeline that Manic dies in, Amy joins him. Or Aziza does. Or, they both do.

Further, then. Before the attack.

Shadow's wrists are boiling, but he has to go further. He tries and tries, but every time the burning in his wrists flares up, and it's like a wall is sitting between him and his true potential.

Desperate, he drives Chaos-sharpened nails into his flesh, tears past skin and veins looking for the source of the burning. Inside, nestled in the soft tissue of Shadow's wrists, he finds a pair of golden chips. They're attached to his arteries, and they're _hot_.

Shadow tears them out without second thought for his own well-being, and power like nothing he has ever known floods into him, enough to completely negate the sudden failing of his mortal form.

With the power comes clarity.

As long as Project Shadow is allowed to live an ordinary life, Dr. Ivo Robotnik will try to retrieve it.

Sunday, November 28th, 8:29pm, Amy's Bedroom

A week passes, and things start returning to normal. The event that threw the entire city into chaos starts being referred to as 'The Glitch'. The general consensus is that, while inexplicably weird, it was harmless. Amy tries to believe that, tries to ignore the rumours that the people most affected have all become hollow versions of themselves. She ignores them about as well as she ignores the rumours that more people are succumbing to the strange fits it caused every day.

She's painting her toenails in bed when she feels the same fear that had preceded the Glitch lance through her chest.

 _Manic_.

Amy is out the door and halfway down her building before she even registers that she's running. The trip to Manic's house usually takes twenty minutes. Tonight she makes it in under five, heedless of the way the paved streets tear up her soft feet. She grabs the spare key from its hiding spot in the bush on her way up the stairs and lets herself in without knocking. As she rushes down the hall, she hears Aleena shouting after her, but the words don't make any sense through her panic. All she knows is that Manic is _dying_ and she needs to get to him.

Her heart stops when she reaches his door and finds it locked, because she's so close! She can save him this time! Without a second thought, Amy lifts her leg and delivers three sturdy kicks to the door, next to the handle.

“What are you doing!?” Aleena demands as the lock breaks and the door flies open, revealing Manic, crumpled on the ground, twitching and choking. Amy rushes to his side, ignoring Aleena's “Oh sweet Chaos....”

“Manic?” Amy chokes out, hands hovering over him, unsure what to do.

“We need an ambulance,” Aleena says in the background as Manic's face turns blue.

“Manic, please,” Amy tries as the tears fall down her face. His eyes are glazed, and he seems a thousand miles away.

Aleena's voice fades in and out as she paces. “My son is..., a seizure, I think..., choking....”

Some half remembered lessons come to mind and Amy tries to administer CPR. “Breathe, damn it,” she sobs.

For the first time in his life, Manic listens. As if awoken from a deep sleep, he sits up with a gasp. His eyes dart around frantically before finally focusing on Amy. There's a few seconds of awkward silence as reality settles in around the two teens, and Amy becomes aware of her struggling lungs and heart. The silence is broken by a forced laugh from Manic.

“Ya know,” he starts, voice weak as he gives her his sleaziest eyebrow waggle. “If you wanted me that bad, you could have said something.”

Amy's entire face turns beet-red as she realizes that, at some point in her panic, she'd climbed onto him and is now straddling him in nothing but flimsy cotton shorts and a matching tanktop. “Manic!” she shrieks, mortified. She shoves his shoulders firmly enough to knock him back down and scrambles off of him. “ _Ewwwww_!”

Sonic shows up before the ambulance, gasping and near tears. “Manic?” he calls from the doorway, looking around frantically before catching sight of Manic and Amy sitting together in the living room.

“Hey,” Manic greets, but his voice lacks its usual energy. That doesn't deter Sonic, though. He kicks his shoes off and rushes into the living room, all but throwing himself at his brother.

“I— I thought you were gone,” Sonic admits as he clings to Manic, and Amy wonders if she should leave.

“I was,” Manic replies in a strangely distant voice. “Amy saved me.”

Sonic looks at Amy then, as if noticing her presence for the first time. “You?” She nods. “How?”

“I don't know,” she admits. “I just... I had this feeling, and—”

Before she can finish the thought, Sonic's lips are pressing against hers, clumsy and urgent. And then they're gone and he's collapsed against her sobbing, and she is entirely unsure of how to react. “Thank you,” he whispers, before moving to cling to Manic all over again.

“No problem,” she breathes. “I'll just, ah, I'm gonna....” She gestures vaguely at the front door before wandering out to the deck in a daze. Sonic kissed her. He _kissed_ her. _Sonic_! She was going to break up with him and he kissed her and she should be elated but she's just confused.

She's still trying to figure out how to process things when the ambulance pulls in.

???????

The years flow like a river, bypassing Shadow in reverse. Ten, then twenty, then thirty. Back to the first days when he was in stasis, long before they'd hunted down his last remaining blood relative.

Shadow looks at himself. He's frozen at nine, maybe ten years old. At that age, asleep in a pod, he doesn't look like a weapon. He looks like a child.

He gathers his energy, and for the first time in living memory he says a prayer, one he often heard Aziza whisper into the stillness of night. “A'udhu bi kalimaa ti-llaahi taam-maati min sharri ma khalaq,” he recites, hoping that his next actions will be enough to change the fates of his loved ones.

With a silent farewell, Shadow unleashes the combined might of seven Chaos Emeralds in one final blast, powerful enough to destroy everything in the room. As life-support systems fail and the machines maintaining true stasis malfunction, his younger self's eyes snap open to meet his own, red meeting red as the child struggles for breath in a body that isn't ready to sustain itself.

Shadow watches, and remembers. He remembers waking up to see a horrible golden man floating before him, remembers suffocating as his drug-laden body failed to respond. And, with those memories come earlier ones. Growing up with Maria, discussing their plans for the day they could live among the people on Earth rather than floating separate from them where illness can't ravage her weakened body.

Maria would have hated what he's become. All she'd ever wanted was to make others happy. All he'd ever caused was misery and destruction. As the child before him fades, so too does Shadow, and he's glad for it. The world will be better off without him. The last thing he's aware of is darkness, and then, blessed nothing.

Sunday, December 12th, 9:47am, In transit

Sonic is sitting on the bus to his final track meet of the semester with Amy when she unexpectedly stiffens, then collapses against him, eyes empty. His heart lurches. Two weeks ago the little pulse inside of him that he'd always associated with Manic had sputtered and died, but Amy had saved him. Last night, Sonia's pulse had also faded out. They're still _alive_ and he's so glad, but he doesn't feel them anymore and there's something off about them; he feels like he’s lost them anyways, and he can't lose Amy too. He _can't_!

“Amy!” he shouts, grabbing her shoulders and giving her a light shake. She doesn't respond at all, and the way her head flops uselessly forward is terrifying. Manic is alive because of Amy, Sonic _owes_ her! He owes her, and she's dying because of _him_! A sharp pain lances through his gut at the thought, and he shakes her more urgently, heedless of the crowd forming around their seat. “Amy, please! Come back to me, I can't lose you, I—”

A shudder runs through her body. She lifts her head to peer at him through pink bangs and black eyelashes. “Sonic?” she asks, and his heart soars. His name has never sounded so sweet on her lips.

“Amy! Thank God, I was so worried, I thought you were—”

As he's speaking, her eyes widen, and before he can finish she cuts him off. “We need to break up. Now.”

His entire world lurches sideways.

This isn't right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to read the epilogue


	22. Epilogue

???????

Deep in the classified areas of G.U.N.'s most highly secured research facility, alarm bells flare. Scientists rush back and forth trying to resuscitate a creature they hadn't even known about when they'd come in this morning. They'd gotten the vitals back pretty quickly, but their success wasn't long lived.

“We're losing him,” an officer says to the stoic commander at her side, as if they aren't viewing the readings together. “What do you think happened in there?”

“It doesn't matter,” the commander replies, eyes filled with a thousand secrets. “The only thing you need concern yourself with is salvaging Project Shadow.”

“Of course, ma'am.”

Despite the reprimand, she continues to stay by the commander's side. There's nothing more she can do in a situation like this, after all. She's ordered the division under her command to resolve the issue, she's called in all the scientists and medical technicians on staff, she's followed procedure. So she waits, and she knows that if they fail to salvage anything from this it will be her head. She was the one in charge of protecting this level of the compound when the breach had occurred, after all.

She looks at the child on the table in the centre of the room, with his organs exposed to the world and a vast array of tubes and wires connecting him to a myriad of machines. Despite being in charge of security on this level, the officer was never actually cleared to see Project Shadow. That such a vital project is just a child is... jarring. It makes her wonder what other atrocities G.U.N. may be hiding in its restricted areas.

Maybe she doesn't have to wonder. Everyone in the room is operating on a simple directive; salvage enough of the child to replicate the project. Reviving the original would be ideal, but it's not necessary.

Keeping children in stasis. Salvaging them for parts, rather than for the individual being they represent. It sickens her.

If her career survives, it may be time to set her aspirations higher. It's about time someone weeds out the corruption, after all.

One way or another, G.U.N. needs to change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first iteration of chapter 1 of this was written in 2011, and I didn't revisit it until 2013. Then after slow updates on ff.net between 2013 and 2016 my life blew up and I took a hiatus. In 2019 I decided to re-write it from scratch, and now here we are, finally done.  
> I do have a sequel in mind, but I'm still working on the outline so it'll probably be another couple years before I have anything to post for it. But, the games explored the idea of a Shadow with no memories being asked to help all these people who say they know him, and I decided I'd like to explore that, too.  
> I also have 3 Shadamy soulmate Aus I'm planning on writing, all in varying states of readiness. I think I'll post one of those next, I could use a fluffier project.  
> Thank you for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome <3
> 
> |[twitter](https://twitter.com/GreatMollinski)|


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